Energetic Space

Feeling HOT HOT HOT in Houston

2011-02-07T16:00:00.003-06:00

The Houston Marathon was on January 30, 2011. Marathon #3 of the Season and #7 of my liftime. I had such high hopes about Houston because I heard that it was fast and flat and that lots of people PR on this course. Considering the dismal season I had been having, Houston did turn out to be a PR for the season at 4:32:08.

Sheri and I started out together with plan to stay together unless something went wrong. I wore my CWX tights because that's all I had with me and decided to wear a short sleeved shirt and leave my waterproof jacket and arm warmers in my belongings bag. Pre-race was inside the air-conditioned Convention Center with tons of port-a-potties. Outside, where the starting corrals were, it was warm and humid with a bit of drizzle while we waited for the start time. Once we got to the starting line, there was no room to warm up and stretch. The whole course was pretty packed for a long time. There were 16,814 runners for the Marathon and Half Marathon although 21,300 registered for the race. I started to feel tightness in my calves and shins early on and urged Sheri to go on without me. I thought I would be able to slow down and warm up and then try to catch up to Sheri a few minutes later but I felt the first twinges of a cramp in my left leg and that was it. I couldn't run any faster without the risk of cramping the rest of the race.

The heat only increased as the race progressed. It rained on us and although my socks and shoes were wet, they weren't water logged - a good thing. The crowd support in Houston was phenomenal. People were out cheering for all the runners, even in the rain. I think it helped that the weather wasn't cold. The crowd and volunteer support really helped with my motivation.

My name was printed on my bib: KIMG. Some people got it right and called me Kim G., a lot of people just didn't call out my name or got me giggling and called me KING. With 3 miles left, I felt another twinge of a cramp and I knew I just had to do my best and be happy to finish. I tried to sprint towards the finish line like I've done in so many other races but my legs would not go. Sigh!! It was just not my season this year. I have one more marathon - Austin.

Although this was not my best race, I would totally try and run Houston again. It was definitely one of the best marathons that I've been in. Post race was back indoors with lots of food and drinks for hungry runners. There was no rationing going on here like some races that I had been to. Finishers claimed a shirt and a beer mug. The medal was pretty snazzy too. Another bonus, our hotel check-out time was 3:00 p..m. instead of the usual 11:00 a.m. or noon. That meant, I could sit in a recovery ice bath and shower before heading back to Austin. That was nice! I would definitely sign up again.

Wondergood! Goodjoy!

2011-02-06T19:40:00.003-06:00

I know I've been awfully quiet on the blog. It's not because I've been sitting around being lazy and doing nothing. On the contrary, my schedule has been pretty crazy since I got back from our Christmas Cruise.

Yes, the week before Christmas, Martin and I, along with our 2 sons, Paolo and Marco, drove to Galveston, TX to go on our first ever 7-day cruise on Royal Caribbean.

We received lots of tips, some were the same, some contradictory, some we followed, others we didn't. Our trip took us to our first stop: Cozumel, Mexico. The water was beautifully blue and the weather was warm. We rented scooters and drove around the island. We stopped along the way to swim in the gorgeous waters. Next up was Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Another beautiful place but seemed to be geared towards shoppers. We rented snorkeling equipment and saw quite a few interesting fish but I was the lone person fortunate enough to swim upon a young sea turtle. Our final stop was Montego Bay, Jamaica. Up to this point, we had been doing rather low-key activities and we felt that this was the last opportunity to do something adventurous. We decided to go white water rafting. It was the best decision we made on the trip.

The ride was rather tame in the beginning, allowing us to watch some beautiful birds fly around and take some pictures. Shortly thereafter, the ride started to get a little rough as we made our way down some rocks. We came upon a beautiful pool of emerald green water and our guide encouraged us to take a swim. Fully wet, the ride gets even rougher. We encounter a rather steep fall and all of us except for the guide and Marco end up falling out of the boat. It was absolutely fun and exciting and we all wanted to see if we could do it again! I scraped my elbow and back on the rocks and I think that freaked out our guide a little bit. For the rest of the ride, our guide made us sit inside the boat whenever we were going down a steep set of rocks. We hope to be back to Jamaica again one day to try the Zipline! Our guide taught us "Goodjoy" because we should not want joy to end.

Back on the boat, we tried the activities and distractions they had for guests: swimming, running, stretching classes, cardio classes, ice skating, swing dance lessons, salsa dance lessons, belly flop contest, rock climbing, trivia game, scavenger hunt. Unfortunately, the activities were so short that we were still left with lots of idle time on our hands. I learned and practiced Body Pump 76 Choreography whenever Martin was napping. The food was good and always available but that combination turned eating into an activity that helped to pass time. Not good!!

So how did the Energetic Gutierrez Family like cruising? We loved visiting different islands in one vacation but if we were to go on another cruise, we'd have to try one of the mega ships to give a final verdict on cruising. Is our next vacation going to be a cruise? Probably not. Photos below.

Week 6 Day 2 - Making Up for Flaking Out

2010-12-16T17:00:00.002-06:00

Good Grief! I can be such a flake sometimes. I got home from TriZone Run Training Wednesday night where we ran around the Legend Oaks neighborhood doing Christmas Lights Fartleks. It's kind of fun... you run normal or slow when passing a house that is not decorated and speed up when passing a house decked out with Christmas lights. If the decorated houses are consecutive, then the speed stays fast until an undecorated house comes along and vice versa. I had every intention of doing the pushups that evening but I saw a red Netflix envelope had arrived in the mail. The movie was "The Kids Are Allright." I quickly ate dinner and sat down to watch the movie. The movie is kind of a tear jerker and I was in awe of the two women - Annette Bening and Julianne Moore - who hardly wore any make up in this movie and therefore did not have the usual Hollywood glamour that I'm used to seeing them in. Needless to say, I went to bed and forgot all about the pushups.

Today, while working on some computers scheduled to be returned, I decided that I would shut my door and just get cracking on the pushups. I even made a little list that I could cross off while I rested in between each set so I wouldn't forget my place. The maximum required was 58 and I targeted 65. I paused a few times, but only for a second or two, to get to 70 but I didn't stop. I paused at 15, 30, 40, 48, 55, 65 and finished at 70.

MY OBSERVATIONS:

I think that keeping my legs at hip width apart while stayingon my toes - is the ideal position to be able to maintain good form without collapsing or giving up.
Being mindful of my head staying in line with my spine keeps me from having to bear the extra weight of my head.
As always, keeping the abs and glutes engaged and/or braced distributes my body weight without loading the arms and chest too much.
Pauses in between will get me to 100.
Counting in 10's or 15's is a great way to get chunks out of the way.

Week 6 Day 3 will be in Galveston. The next challenge I'm toying with is the 30 day Yoga Challenge. I'm thinking of doing it precisely because I'm NOT a yoga fan. Maybe this will change that or confirm that I'm really not the yoga personality. More to come.

Week 6 Day 1 - Here We Go!!

2010-12-14T11:00:00.001-06:00

I have a lot on my mind these days:

Work
Learning and memorizing Body Pump 76 Choreography
Run Training and preparing for the Houston Marathon
Holiday Cruise logistics
Keeping my plants alive
Chores, chores, chores
Finishing my 100 pushup challenge

While watching Monday Night Football and doing some on-line shopping, I remembered that I needed to do Week 6, Day 1 pushups. It's the last week of training before the actual challenge to 100 pushups. Having just practiced Body Pump with Elena H. last Sunday at the Y and a Pure Strength class at 6:00 a.m. Monday morning, my arms were a little worn out. But, per my calculations, if I didn't do the pushups Monday, I may as well forget about doing the rest of Week 6's pushups because this time next week, we will be on a boat for our cruise! My plan is to do Week 6 Day 2 on Wednesday and Body Pump Practice on Friday, Week 6 Day 3 on Saturday, and the Final Test on Sunday before we get on our cruise ship.

After a quick warm up, I got started.

Set 1: 45 - I didn't think I could do this. I was counting in groups of 10. I found myself closing my eyes once I passed 30. I started to shed my layers of clothes.
Set 2: 55 - I rested about 90 seconds because I didn't think 60 seconds would be enough for me to recover.
Set 3: 35 - I could feel my triceps getting angry and when I finished, my chest was on fire!
Set 4: 30 - What a relief for the sets to descend in numbers. I think it actually helped with recovery.
Set 5: maximum of at least 55 - I originally set a target goal of 60, but once I passed the 50 mark, I just kept going and even closed my eyes for a brief moment and I was at 56. At this point, my OCD kicked in and I had to get to 60. When I got to 60, I told myself, "5 more" and made it to 65!

I am following the position I discovered during Week 5 Day 3 pushups - feet about hip width apart. I also noticed that they follow this same position in the Body Pump 76 Training Video. Further validation that this position is by no means a form of a cheat.

Deck the Hills with the Decker Challenge

2010-12-13T12:24:00.001-06:00

Three weeks after the Philadelphia Marathon, and a week after the Body Pump Boot Camp, I was signed up to run the hills of Austin at Decker Lake. This is the first time I've run this course. I volunteered at our Galloway water stop at mile 8 a couple of years ago and saw the steep hills the runners had to go through. Back then, I could not fathom the idea of running this course. Some people run 2 loops of this to complete a Marathon or 26.2 miles. Coach Will advised that since the course is pretty tough, to stick to the Half Marathon or 13.1 miles. I'm glad I listened to him.

I've heard lots of horror stories about the weather at Decker Challenge. There have been years when it was extremely cold and cloudy, a year when it rained and soaked all the runners, a year when it was hot and humid, just a multitude of extreme weather. I was told that this year, I was lucky because the sun was out and it looked like a gorgeous day.

It was still pretty cold at the start, around 42 degrees but somehow the sun really made it feel so much more bearable. By the time I crossed the finish line, the temperature was around 50 degrees. Unfortunately, the wind was pretty strong and running up a hill into the wind makes the hill seem that much harder to climb. The wind was at around 15-18 mph at the start and ended at a ferocious 16-23 mph. Someone mentioned that we would have a tail wind on the way in but it never happened. Head wind and side wind was all that the Decker Challenge showed me. I wore the same gear I wore in Philadelphia.:CWX tights, the Decker Challenge long sleeve technical shirt, my http://www.ruseen.com/ vest (which received lots of compliments), injinji socks, and Mizuno Wave Inspire 6 shoes, and cheap cotton gloves.

I ran along doing my Run-Walk-Run Method with a 5 minute run and 1 minute walk interval. I was able to keep up a pretty good pace until around mile 8 where I felt like I was running out of gas. I debated with myself about trying out the Hammer Gel that Coach Colleeen gave me or the pouch of Sport Beans that I had with me. I decided not to, thinking that at some point there should be some flat land ahead and I could just book it. No such luck! I slowed down considerably because I felt totally gassed! Not good, and I was paying for the decision not to eat. To make matters worse, mile 10 was all uphill!! I know, I know. It might seem like I'm exaggerating and maybe I am. Whether it was the entire mile or even two-thirds of the mile, it was a very, very, very long hill. I had been doing so well with the hills up to this point but this one did me in.

When other runners say that the course is "hilly" they really meant to say that the course is ALL hills. There are no flats, just steady inclines. The downhills begin to be annoying and painful because they're steep and simply become a segue for another hill up ahead. I finally crossed the finish line at 2:13:19. For a first timer, I guess it's not so bad. I have another medal to add to my case.

My learning lessons:

Trust your training. If you eat 100 calories after 6 miles during training. You should eat 100 calories at mile 6 during a race.
Continue to hydrate even when it feels cold and you don't feel thirsty. My left calf cramped on the way to my car! Because I decided I didn't want to stop for water anymore.
Train running up more hills. It's going to help more than it hurts. Really! That needs to be my new mantra.
Pose Running really helps with foot pain. Pose is a little tough to do going downhill though.

Next up is the Houston Marathon. These days, I feel like I've spread myself very thin. I've got to learn the choreography of Body Pump Release 76 because I'll be teaching it come Monday, January 3rd at 6:00 a.m. at the Townlake YMCA. After Decker, I had to head to the Y to practice BP76 with my co-instructors and I was completely sapped after that.

Although I've got a great base for the Houston Marathon, with 2 marathons and a half marathon already under my belt this season, I am hoping that I will PR in this race since it's a flat and fast course. That means, I can't slack off on my run training - including speed drills on the track. I'm also trying to alter my eating habits for the better, not only because I want to fit into my 25 year old wedding dress but develop a habit of making food choices that will benefit my body and the training I allow it to endure. Oh! I forgot, I still have to finish my 100 pushups challenge this week. Ayayay!

Week 5 Day 3 - Slacking off? No Way!!

2010-12-09T12:00:00.002-06:00

I know it's been 6 days since I did Week 5 Day 2 pushups. Do you recall my apprehension though? I was about to embark into the unknown world of Body Pump and I didn't know what condition my body would be in come Saturday when I was supposed to do Week 5 Day 3.

Our first day of BP training lasted until 8:45 p.m. We got to leave 15 minutes early but we had a lot of homework that night. The following morning, 2 of our colleagues were late. We had been told that for every minute one of us arrived late, everyone would have to do 10 pushups. Well... Fanny was 7 minutes late (70 pushups) and Magan was 34 minutes late (340 pushups). Yes, we had to do 400 pushups throughout the day on top of all the other stuff that we had to do. The training was intense enough and to include 400 pushups in the mix just made it that much more brutal. It took me 3 days to fully recover, both physically and mentally from the training. I did not want to see, touch or come near a barbel and plates during those 3 days. On a positive note, I think it probably helped me stay conditioned for Week 5 Day 3. Two sets of 20, two sets of 24, two sets of 20, a set of 22 and the maximum of 60.

MY OBSERVATIONS:

This time around, the 45 seconds in between each set seemed just right. I don't know if it was because I had one of the Body Pump songs stuck in my head or a result of the super fast training we just did over the weekend. Whatever it was, resting for 45 seconds was perfect.
My foot got caught on a spray bottle while I was performing the first set but I didn't want to stop so I just moved my leg so that they were about hip width apart. What a difference!! The load seemed less on my upper body and distributed the weight evenly so that I was never at a point where I didn't think I could complete the set.
I performed the rest of the sets with my feet at hip width and I felt more balanced.
When I was cranking out the maximum, I could probably have gone to 65 but I was set on 60 and Martin and I were getting ready to watch Russell Crowe in Robin Hood. I think I need to discipline myself to stay away from distractions and disruption especially if I'm trying to get to 100.

Week 5 Day 2 - It's time to get serious

2010-12-02T00:27:00.001-06:00

What??? 8 sets?? Seriously? How did we get from 5 sets to 8 sets? Granted, the repetitions aren't as much, but the suggested wait time is shorter! Good grief, it does not feel like there's going to be any kind of reprieve with the shorter reps. I apologize for whining.

So, while boring myself to death watching Jona Hex on DVD, I decided to put a little excitement in my life by doing my pushups. 2 sets of 19, 2 sets of 22, 2 sets of 18, 1 set of 22 and attempt a maximum of at least 45. Well, I made it to 65! Hello there! I apologize for whining about the 8 sets. Turns out they were pretty effective!! Haha!

MY OBSERVATIONS:

With the 8 sets, it's easy to lose track of what set you're on especially while trying to watch a movie. I almost skipped the second set of 22. Next time, I'll be sure to mark my place and avoid the possibility of skipping or repeating a set.
My triceps appear to have decided to participate in the quest to 100 pushups because I sure feel them along with all the other different muscles in my body.
I wasn't too excited with the 45 second rest. I know that the program allows you to take a longer break if necessary but I wanted to see if I would like a shortened rest and find out how it would affect me. The 45 second rest seemed sufficient but I felt like I was rushing and wasn't able to concentrate on my sets as well as I should have. Maybe that's why I almost skipped one of the sets.
Before I got to the maximum set, I had gotten pretty warm and when I finished the maximum set, I was in full blown sweat mode.
I followed the same technique of "5 more" and employing a short pause in plank position to complete 5 more. It worked, because I made it to 65! 35 more to go!

Week 5 Day 1 - Still trying to get caught up

2010-12-01T22:54:00.000-06:00

I actually did these pushups on Monday and it's now Wednesday! Obviously, I'm still trying to get caught up with work, chores, and my blogging. I still have a ton of stuff to do at home and it's not looking like I'm going to be able to get caught up anytime soon. My weekend, beginning this Friday and ending on Sunday, will be completely dedicated to the Les Mills Body Pump Training that I'll be teaching at the YMCA in 2011.

This was a tough day of pushups! Each set was between 30-40 pushups. Even if the last set seemed tame at 24 pushups, because it was towards the end, fatigue had begun to creep up in my arms, chest and core. As always, I warmed up and tried not to get intimidated by the initial set of 36 pushups.

Instead of taking a 60 second break, I decided that a 90 second break would be ideal. I think the rest time was perfect for me because I was able to complete a maximum of 50 pushups. I continued to use my "5 more" technique. I also found that pausing for a couple of seconds while in a plank position, allowed me to reset my body position and maintain good form.

I haven't made up my mind to do Week 5 Day 2 pushups today or tomorrow. There are 8 sets of smaller repetitions. I don't know how my body will feel this weekend and I don't want to end up taking too much time between Day 2 and Day 3. There's less than 2 weeks left in this program and although I'm getting confident that I'll make it close to 100, I'm not convinced that I'll reach 100. I may have to repeat this program again!

Week 4 Day 3 and another Exhaustion Test

2010-11-30T23:08:00.002-06:00

Hmmm...I'm behind again on my blogging. The day I was supposed to do my Week 4 Day 3 pushups, was the same day we moved out of our hotel room and into Marco's house which he shares with 4 other college age boys. Yikes! It was the day before Thanksgiving so the city was in a frenzy. Delightfully, the frenzy kind of made us feel less like tourists in a strange town and more like we were experiencing the same excitement for the the Thanksgiving feast to come. Wednesday was also the day my other son, Paolo, was flying in from Lubbock, TX. I was excited to see him and complete our little family.

When I finally got around to doing my pushups, I was quite stressed from having to clean the house we were going to be living in for the next few days. Martin was asking me all sorts of questions about how to make the bed we were going to sleep in while I worked on my pushups, 29, 33, 29, 29. I had to do the maximum set twice. The first time, I managed to complete only 40. Normally, I have a minimum number to complete in my head and I try to exceed that minimum. With all the distractions and disruptions, I thought the minimum was 37 and 40 seemed sufficient. When I re-checked the table again, I discovered that the minimum was 40!! Aaaarggh! So I had to repeat the maximum again and managed to complete 45 pushups. I know I could have completed more but there were just too many distractions at that time.

Upon completing Week 4, the program required another exhaustion test. It was late Friday evening, and I had been packing up our stuff in preparation for our trip home the following day. I knew that I wouldn't have time for pushups in the morning so I made sure to complete the exhaustion test before going to sleep. I surprised myself when I was able to complete 60 pushups. It was the most I had been able to do so far. After 45 pushups, my body was shaking; or at least it felt that way. I kept thinking "5 more!" Somehow the increments of 5 felt quite manageable because when I got around to 60, my body was screaming "Enough!!"

I was pretty proud of myself! What a great feeling - inside and out! Thanks Jen M., for insisting we take up this challenge.

The Philadelphia Experiment

2010-11-23T19:00:00.002-06:00

Marathon #2 of the Season, Marathon #5 of my lifetime. I am a master multi-tasker and enjoy the idea of accomplishing a whole lot of things in one trip. Here are the reasons why I chose this race:

My son, Marco, goes to school here (at Drexel University) but I've never been to Philadelphia before. Martin accompanied Marco for Freshman Orientation so this trip would be my first look at the city my son loves so much.
The race falls on the weekend before Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday). This year I get a "pass" from cooking the Thanksgiving meal so we planned to extend our stay through Thanksgiving and make it into a vacation.
Through Facebook, we found a college classmate who lives in one of the suburbs near Philadelphia. So we get to visit with her and her family and spend Thanksgiving with them while I continue to enjoy my free pass from cooking the Thanksgiving meal.
Martin's two older brothers each have a daughter who live nearby - Ashley in New York and Bea in Ohio - both will be joining us while we're in Philly. We get to have a nice little family reunion!

One of the cardinal rules of long distance running is never to introduce anything new on race day that you have not tried out during training on a long run. I broke that rule several times over. Fortunately for me, none of them came back to bite me in the proverbial ass. I also did almost everthing right pre-race.

Here's what I did right:

I was well hydrated and made smart food choices to avoid getting the nasty cramps in my legs.
I kept up with my stretching and rolling exercises using my Trigger Point kit to keep any IT band flare ups and Plantar Fasciitis pain at bay.
The weather forecast was cold but dry. Highs in the low 50's. My kind of running weather.
The hotel was a straight shot of about 1 mile from the starting line which meant a nice warm-up walk before race start and no risk of getting lost on the way there.

Here are the "new" things I introduced during this race:

I used my iPhone and listened to music from Pandora Radio while I ran. I don't usually run with music. The ear buds I used weren't new but I had never run with them before. The portable music was a great idea after all because there were only a few bands along the race course. The music was a big help.
New tech running vest

Part of the mileage accumulated on Saturday included searching for an AT&T store and later an Apple store to find a cable for my iPhone because my phone wouldn't sync to my laptop. This meant that I couldn't use the new playlist that I created for the race. The new cable didn't work because it was iTunes that caused the sync failure. Thank goodness for Pandora!

I bought a new vest at the Expo from http://www.ruseen.com/. As it turned out, the vest was perfect for the weather. I was never too hot nor too cold. I had no issues with my new gear.
I was able to practice Pose Running for about 90% of the course with a few minor lapses here and there. The longest I've been able to practice Pose Running in the past was 3 miles before I reverted back to my old form. I think the Pose Running actually helped when my feet started to hurt from my plantar fasciitis.
My running friend, Sheri D., suggested I try the Metamucil route to avoid the stomach cramps that I experienced during the Frankenthon Marathon. Sheri uses this technique all the time for races and for long runs. It worked perfectly for me. No stomach cramps at all during the race. I didn't even need to stop for a potty break.

The Metamucil route involves taking the recommended dose of Metamucil and water daily starting on Thursday through Saturday.

Although I still did the Galloway Run-Walk-Run method, I only walked while I refueled with the Sport Beans, or took my Succeed S-Caps and refilled my water bottles. This means I only walked every 15 - 20 minutes.

In hind sight, I wonder if my legs would have been less fatigued had I included more walk breaks around the first 6 miles because that's precisely what they're for.

My Galloway running coach, Will Carlson, always sends out a reminder email on race week. In it, he tells us not to spend too much time roaming around the Expo during packet pick up and avoid being on our feet on Friday and Saturday before the race. Like I said, I almost did everything right except adhering to that particular rule. The excitement of this trip had me on my feet, walking around the airport instead of keeping Martin company on the moving walkways. When we got to Philly, I felt the big city lure to walk, walk, walk. Oh and not just a slow meandering walk, more like a brisk, white-rabbit-I'm-late-walk. I think I walked over 5 miles on Friday in shoes that were meant to be worn from the parking lot to the yoga studio. In other words, they were not walking shoes that offered any kind of support. Sadly, they were the only pair of shoes that I had brought (aside from my running shoes, flip flops, and two boots). Needless to say, my feet and my legs were slightly tired come Friday evening. By Saturday, I admonished myself not to walk too far so of course we ended up walking for a several hours and I was still wearing those silly yoga shoes. By early Saturday evening, my legs had it. I prayed for a miracle on Sunday.

As usual, I couldn't sleep very well (strange bed, snoring husband, fear of being late to the race) and I woke up without incident and followed my morning routine - dress up, coffee, eat, and make my way to the starting line. I was there at 6:00 a.m. and race start was at 7:00 a.m. I joined the Lululemon pre-race warm up. Fortunately, they did a lot of the stretching that we do at TriZones. I seeded myself in my corral and waited for the announcements, the National Anthem and a little after 7:15 a.m. we were off!

I felt good at the start and I was careful not to go out too fast. I was able to stay on target until we started hitting the hills around mile 9. The hills slowed me down quite a bit. I had moments of recovery but I could not sustain my targeted pace. My legs were just plain tired.

At mile 12, the thought of just finishing a Half Marathon instead of the 26.2 miles crossed my mind for a few moments. I thought, "What if?" This was the first time I had ever considered such an idea. Somehow, I think I read that suggestion in our race packet and that's how the idea got planted in my head. I did a quick check from head to toe. Nothing about my body hurt. It was just fatigue that I was feeling and everyone goes through that. Fortunately, the amount of time it took to think these thoughts were about as long as I considered it. I saw some beautiful scenery ahead and quickly pushed the thought of a shortened run out of my mind.

Around the rolling hills of Manayunk, PA (which are more like the hills on Enfield in Austin) my feet started to hurt pretty badly. I describe it as stepping on shards of glass. Now, having never stepped on shards of glass, I don't know how accurate I am with my description. So based on personal experience, it's more like running barefoot and stepping on sharp rocks and pebbles. I slowed down even more at this point but I stayed true to my Pose Running. I knew that good form would get me through this.

When I finally got to the last 4.2 miles, I could feel a few twinges on my left IT band, my left calf and both my feet still hurt. I popped a couple of Advil just as additional insurance. I did not hit a wall. I just hit that terrible treadmill going nowhere. It's the same deadmill that I got on when I ran Frankenthon. So I kept going back to concentrating on my running form. Pulling my leg up and letting gravity help me move forward.

Cool Medal!

The crowds started to thicken so I knew it was close to the finish. Because this course is so unfamiliar to me, it was hard to determine just how close I was. As soon as I saw the finish line, I turned on the jets and gave it all I had. I finished in 4:41:46 with an age-graded equivalent time of 4:13:59. No PR, but I got a cool medal and I had fun! The end of the race marked the start of my vacation! As long as Marco lives here in Philly, I will likely run this race again. I just need to make sure I heed my coach's reminders and stay off my feet next time.

As I write this, I've already fully recovered from the race and I was able to run 4 miles around Philadelphia this morning. I'm already excited for my next race is in December, the Decker Half Marathon in Austin.

Week 4 Day 1 and Day 2

2010-11-22T21:18:00.001-06:00

Ugh! I've been late both on my blogging and on my pushups. Lots of things going on... I performed my Week 3 Day 1 pushups on November 17th, it was my last work day before my long vacation started. Of course, work had to be hectic on the last day. I thought that I had been able to head everything off before the deadline but Murphy's Law prevailed as usual. Everyone that had a deadline made their deadline on my last day so I was crazy busy even after getting to work at 7:15 a.m. that morning. I didn't want to do my pushups the next day. The next day was the day before we were scheduled to leave for Philadelphia. That meant, errands galore and packing. So, on November 17 at approximately 11:30 p.m., I finally got to my pushups. 21, 25, 21, 21 and a maximum of 35.

The next day, I was kind of stressed about packing since we were going to be in Philadelphia through November 27th. I was running the Marathon on November 21st and spending Thanksgiving in Philly as well. Packing for a 9-day trip is not fun for me because I have to think about my gear for the race, the workouts during the trip, nice clothes for Thanksgiving or a nice dinner out while we're there, the colder weather, and keeping everything at 50 lbs or less.

Our flight was at 6:30ish in the morning on November 19th. That meant we were supposed to be at the airport by at least 4:30 a.m. since we didn't know the extent of the new TSA security checks. That also meant we needed to be up at 3:30 a.m. and ready to roll by 4:00 a.m.

We finally arrived in Philadelphia around 3:00 p.m. and Martin was not well at all during the trip. He felt dizzy and he had a terrible headache. The Advil he took around 9:30 a.m. when we arrived at Chicago Midway and at 3:00 p.m. when we arrived at the Philadelphia Airport didn't seem to help at all. We arrived at our hotel and took whatever room was available. We ended up on a smoking floor and in a smoking room. My son Marco, who lives in Philadelphia, came to see us and went with me to pick up my race packet at the Convention Center. We went to the south side of town for some quality mother-and-son time after Martin declined to join us for dinner. Martin stayed behind at the hotel room and slept. I picked up some Dramamine and brought back some dinner for Martin. He seemed somewhat recovered after dinner but went back to sleep. I think the Dramamine made him drowsy. Fortunately, he was back to normal the following morning.

I brought up some breakfast for Martin and after a couple more hours of rest, we soon set out to do a little city exploration. I tried not to be on my feet so much. Race day was the following day and I had already walked a bunch the day before. Unfortunately, our hotel doesn't have room service so we still have to walk around to find a place to eat. I had thought about doing my pushups on this day but I soon forgot about it as I was prepping my stuff and reviewing my game plan for the day.

Race Day. I'll have a separate blog post about the events of the day. I didn't even think about pushups at any time during this day. I probably blocked it out of my head completely. HAHAHA!

So now it's the day after and I felt pretty good, about 99% back to normal. Martin and I walked around and explored a lot of the monuments and buildings. We got back to the hotel late in the afternoon. As I was rolling out my quads, hamstrings, calves, IT band, and feet, I feel this sudden surge of panick wash over me. I realized that I hadn't done any of my pushups!! What if I had lost all that conditioning?? Today would actually be the 5th day since I last performed any kind of pushups!! I was angry and disappointed with myself. So much for portability!! If the brain can't remember, the workout won't happen. Aaaarggh!

So I crank them out; 25, 29, 25, 25 and push out the maximum I could possibly do of 45!! My highest so far!

MY OBSERVATIONS:

Warm up the arms. Warm up the chest. Warm up and get the heart rate up slightly. Feel the body temperature rise. This is the foundation for successfully completing all the sets especially this far into the challenge.
Don't be afraid to work up a sweat! I work up a sweat every time. For Week 4 Day 1, I was sweating so much, I had to change into some dry clothes.
Breathe!! Use the breath to push yourself to the limit. Exhale all the air out of the lungs on the effort. Inhale on the recovery. I feel like I mimick a mother in labor when I'm trying to get one more pushup. Pretty soon, that "one more" ends up as "five more."
Just do it! Whoever thought of this Nike tagline is, was and always will be right. Look at the first set and just do it. Don't think about all the other sets that follow. Put the number of the first set in your head and just do it! The more you think about it, the more you're going to find ways to get intimidated.
Fortunately, the muscles don't lose their conditioning that quickly! Yay!
Continue to keep in mind:

to use the large muscle groups in the chest while performing pushups
keep the the abdominals, glutes, and back muscles engaged
fatigue will hit the arms first but with the support of the chest and core, fatigue can be delayed

Week 3 Day 3 - Pedaling for Puppies and Pacman

2010-11-16T17:00:00.013-06:00

Jenni B and I went on our first urban group ride as participants of "Pedal for Puppies" last Saturday, benefiting Austin Pets Alive! The cold front had arrived and it was exactly that! COLD and WINDY. It was a great ride from North Central Austin to Jack and Adam's in South Austin. Unfortunately, we got separated as Jenni caught most of the red lights that we were trying to avoid. I ended up riding with Jenni's co-worker, Kim. We were pretty fast and fierce. Kim and I along with another female rider, were able to stay right behind the elite riders and that was a major ego and confidence booster. The said female rider commented as we were stopped at a red light "You guys are pretty experienced riders!" Kim said that she rides but only about 10 times a year. I had to confess that I just got my first road bike in June and learned to clip when I got my bike. Definitely NOT experienced.

We managed to meet up with Jenni at the end of the ride. Jenni took me home so that I could make my massage appointment. Back at home, I watched a few College Football games including the ever painful self-destruction of the Texas Longhorns. Saturday was also the day that Filipino Boxer, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao was to do battle in the ring with a much taller and heavier Mexican Boxer, Antonio Margarito. We were originally going to go to a sports bar to watch but Martin decided to stay home so we ordered PPV.

Martin wore his MP (Manny Pacquiao) jacket inside the house all day as he fiddled with his camera flash that he was jerry rigging for some auto-remote-switch-dohickey. As we watched the undercards help build the excitement for the fight, I warmed up to do my pushups. OMG! There are no pushups below 20!! 22, 30, 20, 20, maximum 30.

MY OBSERVATIONS:

I was puzzled why I was only able to eek out 30 at the end. I felt like I was using my large muscle groups, back and chest during the pushups. Then I remembered that I did the Body by Jake-Total Body workout on Friday. Granted, I didn't get to complete the last 10 exercises, I didn't realize how much that workout fatigued my muscles.
The goal was met so what am I whining about? I'm of the Type A persuasion so I like to over achieve. So I just need to remember not to couple those activities together.
I utilized every bit of the 120 second rest in between sets.
I was thinking that if Pacquiao could face a fighter 17 lbs heavier and several inches taller, I could finish all my pushups.

I'm a little late on my post because:

I was overjoyed by Pacman's win on Saturday and we didn't get to bed until well after midnight.
I went on a 10 mile run on Sunday with Sheri D with about 5 hours of sleep.
I'm a little sore again because I did my version of the Body By Jake workout last Monday at my Pure Strength Class. I'm delaying my pushups of Week 4 Day 1 to Wednesday.
I'm hoping to catch up on some zz's so that I can be ready for the Philly Marathon on Sunday but I don't think it's working because I'm already obsessing about my 2011 goals.
I submitted my 2011 NYC Marathon lottery entry. Worst case scenario, I run NYC in 2012.

Week 3 Day 2 - The Ultimate Portable Workout

2010-11-11T17:00:00.009-06:00

I took a rest day from running this morning because last night, at our TriZone's Running, we did a pretty intense track workout. I was totally unmotivated to do speed work but I pushed myself to complete the plan and push my times. Fortunately, I was able to beat all the goal times our coach set for me. Hopefully, I can find that "push" come race day and meet the goals I've set for myself.

It's a light day at work and I'm preparing a couple of new laptops that arrived today for staff use. It's a tedious process but it's actually a perfect job that calls for multi-tasking. So in between waiting and keying in commands, I begin my warm-up. I enter a few keystrokes and begin my pushups. The 90 second rest was perfect for allowing me to attend to the computer while I rested from the pushups. I pushed them out: 20, 25, 15, 15, and a maximum of 35.

MY OBSERVATIONS:

Looking at the chart was somewhat intimidating, especially the first 2 sets! But I figured that I needed adjust my mindset a little and think about 20+ pushups as easy because I have to get to 100 in about 3 weeks.
I'm convinced that pushups are the ultimate portable workout. I managed to get my heart rate up, I was breathing heavy and sweating. I felt my chest and core muscles working hard and towards the last 5 of my maximum, even my arms were shaking!
My original target for the maximum was 30 but after the last pushup, I still felt strong enough to squeeze out a few more and managed to get to 35! I'm impressed with myself!
Continuing to concentrate on using my pectoral muscles during the pushups has alleviated the jello arms in between sets. I had slightly jello arms at the end of my maximum set but it didn't last very long.
My brother cautioned me about creating an imbalance by concentrating too much on the chest that I neglect my back. So far, I've found that with my core fully engaged, my back has not sagged or arched.
I love all the tips I've been getting. If you have any, send them my way!!

Week 3 Day 1 - Mindful Pushups

2010-11-09T21:57:00.001-06:00

On Monday, an Exhaustion Test was on the schedule. I completed 35 which was pretty good but I felt like I could have completed more. So, I waited an hour and 20 minutes and tried again. Alas, I could only do 36. It sure doesn't seem like I can make it to 100 in one try because 36 was pretty tough to crank out.

Tuesday morning, I ran 5 miles. It was 5 miles of mindful Pose Running. It's the longest distance I've been able to maintain the Pose form and it was because I concentrated and kept my mind on my form for the entire run. I bring this up because on Monday, after the Exhaustion Test, I told Martin that I was only able to improve my total number of pushups by one. Martin wisely reminded me that I should use my pectoral muscles when peforming pushups instead of just my arms.

So, I completed my pushups using my chest: 14, 18, 14, 14, and a maximum of 30.

MY OBSERVATIONS:

Three weeks into this challenge and the warm up is par for the course and is no longer neglected.
The 60 second rest between sets goes by really fast.
Did the mindful pushups enable me to max out at 30?
I know being mindful of using my chest while I perform the pushups certainly made the shaking arms syndrome disappear.

Week 2 Day 3 - A Slight Delay

2010-11-06T20:56:00.001-05:00

I didn't sleep well Thursday night. Sinus headache, sore throat, and congestion, had me tossing and turning so I woke up Friday feeling pretty puny. A hot shower seemed to help so I headed to the office, but it didn't take long before all my symptoms were back. Fortunately, my doctor's office was able to fit me in. Diagnosis: Sinus Infection. I received the cursory prescription of antibiotics and I headed to the pharmacy. I stayed home the rest of the day and didn't do the prescribed pushups for Week 2 Day 3. Jen M., who is also doing this 100 Pushups Challenge, suggested that I delay my pushups so that she can catch up to me since she's a day behind me. I gladly acquiesced.

Feeling much better on Saturday, I headed to the Y to teach my classes. I had intended to ride my bike but decided not to push it and drove instead. Waking up from an after afternoon nap, I realized that I still had pushups to crank out. Crank them out I did, 16, 17, 14, 14 and a maximum of 25.

MY OBSERVATIONS:

Even if I had been active earlier in the day, I knew that I still needed to make sure that I warmed up. Besides, I had delayed the pushups a full day and didn't want to take any chances.
I think I've finally overcome my anxiety with starting pushups. I didn't hesitate doing the first set of pushups at all. It could also be because I've had 2 days rest.
I made sure to take the full 120 second rest after each set this time. I think it was still too long but I wasn't about to take any chances and end up regretting taking a shorter break.
After this week, I have to take another exhaustion test to determine what to do on Week 3. The program recommends waiting 2 days before performing the test. It might actually be best if I switch to a T-TH-S schedule.
I wonder if the extra day of rest helped me to reach 25 pushups this time.
The shaking muscles are also gone but it's still pretty easy to work up a sweat.

Week 2 Day 2 - Procrastinator Paradise

2010-11-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's Wednesday and I've been battling with what seems to want to turn into a cold. It's not a good sign when I blow my nose and it goes from clear to colored. Ick! I've continued my vitamin regimen and I started taking OTC meds to help dry some of that stuff that's coming out of me. Unfortunately, the OTC meds plays tricks on me and makes me somewhat drowsy and sluggish during the first few hours of taking it. Needless to say, I couldn't find the motivation to drop down and do the required pushups for Day 2.

Wednesday is also TriZones Running Day. My Galloway Running friend, Sheri D., who ran with me at the Frankenthon Marathon also joined our group. Sheri and I ran our drills and repeats together and it was nice to have some competitive company. The effects of the OTC meds and the threatening cold on my run were hardly noticeable.

I got home, made dinner, ate dinner, showered, rolled and stretched my legs and feet and at 10:15 p.m. I completed the pushups for Week 2 Day 2: 14, 16, 12, 12 and my maximum was 21!

MY OBSERVATIONS:

I didn't warm up my arms or upper body this time because I was already pretty warm from the run workout earlier in the evening. We'll see if I end up paying for it later (I doubt it though).
I could really feel the muscles in my chest squeeze out the last pushup to make 21.
The rests I took between sets were not consistent. Between set 1 & 2, I only took a 60 second rest. Between set 2 & 3, I took about a 120 second rest. Between set 3 & 4, I managed a 90 second rest and between set 4 & 5 I took another 120 second rest.
After that activity, I couldn't go to sleep until about midnight - this is after I had taken a nighttime OTC med.

Week 2 Day 1 - Whoa Nelly!

2010-11-01T20:21:00.001-05:00

Monday means Pure Strength Class at the Y at 6:00 a.m. and that means I'm up at 5:00 a.m. Fortunately, I woke up and the soreness that was trying to take residence in my throat seemed to have disappeared. I loaded up on the Vitamins C, D and Zinc anyway. I had a little bit of time left but I didn't want to do the pushups before heading to class and end up with jello arms while I was teaching. That wouldn't look too good! So I taught my class and got to work where there were plenty of opportunities to get down on the ground and do the pushups but I think I was slightly scared, even intimidated. I know, right? Seriously?? Intimidated after a completing a whole week of pushups? Whatever!

I got home, made dinner, ate dinner, iced and rolled out my feet and I finally ran out of excuses and things to do. I warmed up and cranked out the pushups: 14, 14, 10, 10 and a maximum of 20! HAHAHA! I crack me up sometimes. All that anxiety for nothing!

MY OBSERVATIONS:

Yowza!! I am probably going to be sore!! I really felt every single one of those pushups.
The 60 second rest definitely feels short. I think I prefer a 90 second rest.
I worked up a sweat completing the 5 sets.
The last set of 20 pushups was definitely to exhaustion. There was no way I would have been able to do 1 more.
I procrastinated all day long because the number of pushups per set was really playing tricks with my head yet when I started, all of the apprehension and doubt just melted away.
I didn't have a target for my last set so I surprised myself that I completed the same number as Week 1 Day 3.

Week 1 Day 3 - Pushups with Walter

2010-10-30T13:14:00.000-05:00

Walter on my mat
foam roller behind him

We're dog sitting Walter this weekend while his parents, Jenni and Justin spend a nice weekend with the Balthrop family in Fredericksburg, TX. I had neglected my stretching and rolling exercises on my foam roller the last couple of days and I knew that I had to get them done before heading to the Y to teach my classes. I woke up at 6:00 and Walter joined me on my mat while I stretched out my quads, IT band, hamstrrings, calves and feet. I still had a lot of time left so pushups were next on the list.

As in previous days, an upper body warm up was a very important part of this workout. It consisted of shoulder shrugs, arm circles, alternating arm scissors to get the blood flowing through my arms and pectoral muscles. Absolutely all soreness from Day 1 were gone.This time, I tried not to get intimidated by the first set and just pushed out the first 11 pushups without even thinking about it. I completed 11, 15, 9, 9 and for the maximum I cranked out 20!! Just in case you're wondering, yes, they were all good form push ups.

MY OBSERVATIONS:

The rest time was 120 seconds and it felt a little too long. Walter didn't mind though because those 2 minutes of rest were spent giving Walter a rub down.
I think the 20 pushups I did for my last set were completely due to the 120 second rest.
The 9 pushups seemed really easy yet on Day 2, I had a hard time doing 10 pushups.
It actually feels like the exercises are getting easier and I've just completed Week 1.
Looking forward to week 2 which I will start on Monday.

Week 1 Day 2 - But I'm sore!!

2010-10-28T18:14:00.000-05:00

I started to feel sore yesterday but it didn't fully blossom until this morning when I woke up. The muscle soreness that I feel is located mostly around my chest and a little bit in the arms. I'd say that my pushups were of proper form based on which muscles were targeted by the exercise.

It was a busy day at work and having sore muscles combined with tapering turned out to be a bad combination because I felt irritated all day!! Being in a foul mood is never fun because it feels like it takes so much energy! I could also be PMS'ing. Ugh!! I knew that I had to do the Pushups today but a part of me (probably my pectoral muscles) just didn't want to. Fortunately, I"m not one to back out on any kind of commitment that involves a physical challenge. I proved that at the Frankenthon Marathon.

I got home, changed into my workout clothes (to go teach Pilates at the Y) and decided it was now or never. Based on my observations from Day 1, I made sure to warm up my upper body and I did a few dynamic stretches for my arms, chest and torso. Off to the races!! I completed 10, 12, 8, 8, maximum 17!

MY OBSERVATIONS:

The soreness didn't play a role in my performance! That's pretty awesome!! So don't procrastinate just because you're sore.
The warm up really helped because the soreness feels greatly diminished even after I completed all 5 sets.
I surprised myself during the last set. I really thought I only had 12 in me. Who knew I could do 17.
The 90 second rest between sets was just right.
The first set is still the hardest even with the warm up. I think it's partly mental. Thinking about 10 good form pushups appears to play havoc on the psyche.

Week 1 Day 1 to 100 Pushups

2010-10-26T18:30:00.004-05:00

I didn't get to do the 100 pushup workout on Monday as I originally intended because we had a pretty intense swim workout with Coach Gina. At the swim workouts, we did drill after drill, after drill, and my arms were pretty tired when I got home. It was the last class of this special TriZones swim session where we focused on the high elbow as taught by Sheila Taormina. The results have been great and I feel like I've improved 110%. It's still unbelieveable to think that 9 months ago, I couldn't even swim across a 25 meter pool without dog paddling.

Since I'm technically still resting and recovering from Saturday's Monster Marathon, starting Week1 Day1 of the 100 Pushups Challenge on a Tuesday works just fine for me. I completed the sets found under the 3rd column: 10, 12, 7, 7 and maximum.

MY OBSERVATIONS:

The first set of 10 was actually pretty hard. I think it was acting like a warm-up. I should probably warm my arms up and get the blood flowing before I attempt the first set on Day 2.
The second set was a lot easier although the last 2 did get pretty tough.
The third and fourth set of 7 was pretty easy.
The fifth set required at least 9, my original goal was 10 but I was able to complete 12. Not sure if I could have done one more. It got pretty tough.
My arms feel warm to the touch and yes, I'm breathing a little heavy.
After a few minutes of rest, my arms started to shake a little bit and eventually they felt like jello.

A Monster of a Marathon

2010-10-25T20:30:00.003-05:00

Whoa! Look at those guns!!

Marathon #1 of the season, and marathon #4 of my lifetime, turned out to be a frightening race. It was appropriately named the Frankenthon Monster Marathon. The week of beautiful Fall weather was almost like a figment of my imagination because it was hot and humid again just like all the training runs we had all Summer. I knew that I wouldn't be setting any PR's (Personal Record) at this race but I was hoping for a good race. I wanted to make sure I could apply the Pose Running Method, apply some of the speed work that I had been practicing all summer, and I wanted to feel the positive effects of the Airrosti treatments on my hip, calves, and feet. I was running with Sheri D. from Austin Galloway and we run in the same pace groups so I was hopeful that we could easily motivate each other and stay on track.

Unfortunately, it took a mere mile and a half and all those plans were out the window and into the wind because I experienced stomach cramps (aka had to go #2). I made several attempts to stop at nearby restrooms, but to no avail. I suffered through about 23 miles of these awful, horrible cramps. I slowed down my pace considerably just to keep the cramps at bay but it was miserable. Everything seemed copacetic until I felt the first twinge of a cramp on my left calf. I was able to keep the cramps under control until the last 3 miles and both my calves were exchanging morse code in cramps! It was freaking unbelievable. I couldn't even cross the finish line with my usual sprint. I finished the race in 5:09, by far, my worst marathon finish time.

This is definitely one of the most unique races I've participated in so far. The post-race food consisted of soda, pizza and donuts. No bananas or oranges, no chocolate milk or protein recovery drink, not even any water. The goody bag contained a pair of socks, a long sleeve technical shirt, and I received a cool medal for finishing the grueling 26.2 miles. Since the race was just in Cedar Park, the drive home was relatively short. I recovered in an ice bath with a bag of ice the I picked up at a gas station on the way home.

I guess Perfect Races only come once in a while, and running a PR is even more elusive. One very important realization came to me while I was hobbling through the last 2 miles, I don't think that I have a marathon wall. For me, running a tough race like this allowed me to look inside of myself and figure out if I had what it takes to finish. I wanted to cross that finish line and get my medal. That's all I thought about even if it felt like I was on some sort of treadmill heading nowhere. I'm looking forward to my next race in Philadelphia. Hopefully, I'll have better luck at Marathon #2 of the Season.

Can I do 100 pushups?

2010-10-22T19:00:00.002-05:00

One of my teammates at TriZones, Jen M, shared her experience with a site called hundredpushups.com. I didn't think it would go anywhere with our group because we were so busy learning Sheila Taormina's swimming techniques and Pose Running. But with our swimming session coming to an end, Jen M's idea about the hundred pushups was back on the dashboard and Coach Gina announced in an email that we were supposed to start the program next week!! Eeek!!

I do pushups like this
but I don't look like this.

I love challenges and I did a bunch of running challenges last year courtesy of MapMyRun.com. BUT, pushups aren't exactly like running where you use the large muscle groups in your legs. Pushups require the use of the arms to raise and lower the body. My arms, compared to my legs, are small. If my arms are expected to "push" the weight of my legs one hundred times, it is going to be far from an even match. I know that the core plays a big role in being able to successfully complete pushups. I say it in my Pilates classes all the time, "Let your core, support your movement." But can my core stay focused and engaged long enough while I attempt to complete 100 pushups??

Since I'll be missing next Wednesday's training (recovering from my Marathon), I decided that I would go ahead take the initial test to find out where I am supposed to start. I did 30 pushups until my arms started to shake but it didn't look like the guy in the image shown above. He goes pretty far down, I probably go down only about half the way. So net-net, let's just say that I can do 15 pushups. I'll be following the third column on Day 1 which will be on Monday, October 25th. I'll be reporting on my progress, either weekly or maybe a quick one each day right here on my blog. The frequency of my reports will just depend on everything else that's going on that week. Here's my declaration: I HAVE TAKEN ON THE CHALLENGE TO DO 100 PUSHUPS IN 6 WEEKS.

Posing and Racing at IBM

2010-10-21T18:30:00.002-05:00

Flat foot?

The IBM Uptown Classic was held last October 17, 2010 at the IBM offices in North Austin near the Domain. I've never done this race before and a lot of the race feedback is that's it's a flat and fast course. I signed up because I thought it would be a good opportunity to practice the Pose Method of Running in a race situation as well as get into the "racing mode" since my first marathon of the season falls on Saturday of the following weekend - on October 23, 2010.

None of my regular running buddies were running this race so I was pretty much by myself. Fortunately, the beneficiary of the race this year was the Austin YMCA so I was able to see a few familiar faces - people who work at the Y as well as some members. I also got to see a few friends; Kristy who was running with her husband Josh, and Tom who runs with Gilbert's Gazelles now.

When I think about it, there were a lot of reasons why I shouldn't have run:

Clearly, I'm landing on my heel.

Texas temperatures had started to fall the week before but on this particular Sunday, the humidity seemed to have come back. It's tough to run in warm and humid conditions and after running most of the summer, I was pretty sick of running in these conditions. My level of motivation had fallen a few notches.
This particular Sunday was also the Longhorn 70.3 held at Walter E. Long Park. I had volunteered at bike check-in the day before in very warm conditions. I was on my feet the whole time and my face hurt from getting wind and sun burned.
Friday night, I went to visit friends and brought a bottle of prosecco (Italian sparkling wine). The wine turned out to be a bad idea as it messed with my digestive system all day Saturday and Sunday. (I hope I don't have to explain myself any further.) I was a little drained to say the least.

Heels and rigid shoulders

Anyway, I was already there and I wanted to practice my new running method. I should add to my list above that I was unfamiliar with the course. Fast? Flat? There was a nice downhill because there was also an uphill. I couldn't handle the number of turns. It was annoying and frustrating. I was trying to run the tangents to stay on the shortest distance possible but I only ended up tiring myself out from all the weaving I ended up doing. Did I successfully practice the Pose Method? Yes, but only for about 3 miles. After that, I was tired and just ran the way I normally do. Of course the race photos don't show a single picture of me in my best Pose!! Obviously, I need a whole lot more practice. I'll have to keep at it!

I finished in 59 minutes and 1 second. It wasn't what I was shooting for. My goal was 55 minutes or better. The next 10k I'm signed up to do is the Capitol 10,000. That race is so huge that I end up gawking at all the costumed participants! We'll see what happens next.

Strike a Pose, Madonna

2010-10-12T18:00:00.003-05:00

So last time, I told you that I was attending a weekly running workout with Tri Zones. The first lesson was an introduction/review of the Pose Running Method. I sort of have an idea about Pose. I own two of the books - The Pose Method of Running and The Pose Method of Triathlon Techniques. I still haven't read either book in its entirety. I bought the books during the early stages of my DIY-Triathlon-training. I got through all the principles and the science around why Pose is a very logical way of running, biking and swimming but I had to put it down and stop reading. It wasn't exactly the most motivating book to read when faced with the idea of completing my first Triathlon. So I sort of "winged" my first Tri and then I signed up for Summer Triathlon Training with Tri Zones. The first day of Summer Tri Training was on the track and we did some Pose Method drills. Unfortunately, we didn't do it again so it wasn't substantial enough for me to adapt it on my runs and I didn't go back to finish reading the books.

So now I'm actually practicing and learning about Pose every week through Tri Zones Coaches Gina and Colleen. It's been three weeks since that first introductory session and I find myself trying to run the Pose Method more every time I go out for a run. Of course there are still times when I find myself going back to my "old ways" but I've also discovered that what I'm asking my body to do isn't unnatural, so it doesn't really feel awkward or difficult to adapt.

One of the best descriptions of the Pose form was in the November issue of Runner's World. I don't think that the Editor, David Willey, intended for it to be applied to Pose but the picture it painted in my head when I was reading it was perfect for Pose and non-Pose form.

There's this photo of my dad and me running a 10-K that makes me wince whenever I see it. We're side by side, faces set in the same fiercer-than-intended expression (no doubt where I inherited that from). The big difference is in our legs. My dad is landing on the ball of his right foot, which strikes the ground slightly ahead of his torso. His right knee is flexed perfectly, and his left leg, tucked neatly behind him, is poised to come forward in textbook repetition. But as the photo reveals, my did din't pass his pefect form down to his son. My right foot is way out in front of me, toes pointed skyward. My knee is locked and my hell is striking the ground. This is called over-striding, and it's one reason some runners develop injuries. Heavy heel-strikers, studies show, can't efficiently absorb and dissipate the impact forces of running, which over time can take a toll on our muscles, tendons, and joints. - Excerpt from the Editor's Letter, RW Nov. 2010

When I run these days, I try and imagine whether I look like the Editor or his Dad and I look for the feel of gravity naturally forcing my body forward. When I was a teenager, I walked and ran in a forward falling motion. This was constantly corrected by the adults in my life - parents, relatives, teachers. Little did I know that I was already doing the Pose Method. It's not hard to get back into that forward falling motion when I run but I do find that I have to remind myself that it's okay to run that way. Chi Running, another style of running that is catching on with a lot of runners, is also a big proponent of landing not on the heel, but the mid foot or forefoot instead, and maintaining a high turnover rate with the feet. I follow Jeff Galloway's Run-Walk-Run method and he also advocates a high turnover rate when running and includes Cadence or Turnover Drills that help to get the runner used to taking smaller but faster steps. Jeff isn't as strict about staying on the balls on your feet, he's more about running the way that feels most natural.

I already have a pretty good turnover rate, having practiced Jeff Galloway's methods for over 2 years now, and feel comfortable moving my feet quickly. So why try Pose? Why not? One of the lessons I've learned this season as I immersed myself in Triathlon training is that there are a hundred different ways to successfully execute the 3 different sports but the athlete's main objective is to execute each sport with efficiency and without creating additional hardships because performing all 3 different sports in one fell swoop is pretty challenging by itself. Every person has a unique body shape, different bio-mechanics, strength and weakness so there is not a single method or style that applies best to all the different variables that come from a human body. I believe that trying different methods helps us understand our bodies better so that we can efficiently execute the tasks we face and avoid injury.

Some of the negative feedback that I've heard about Pose include tightening of the calves, hamstring pain, some hip and joint discomfort. I think this is a perfect example of how everyone's unique body shape and biomechanics plays a role in the success or failure of a technique. I think that if you experience discomfort and know that you're executing the movement as close to the required or recommended way as possible, then it probably doesn't suit you. At the same time, just because you find that it works for you, it won't mean that it will work for all your friends either.

I'm running my first Marathon for the season on October 23rd. It's the Frankenthon Monster Marathon in Cedar Park, TX. I hope to be able to run using the Pose Method while continuing Jeff Galloway's Run-Walk-Run Method too. That's what I hope to do but who knows if I end up reverting to my "old ways." I'll be sure to post a race report about it.

I HEART TRI'S

2010-10-04T22:20:00.015-05:00

The Trek Women's Triathlon held last Sunday, October 3rd, 2010 was my fourth and final Triathlon for the season. Triathlons were supposed to be my stretch goal this year. Mission complete! I'm also very proud to have stretched myself four times! Looking at the individual times of the swim, bike and run, it really doesn't look like I improved from my first to the fourth but I sure felt like I did. Trying to compare my performance from one race to another is really hard to do because conditions are different each time. The weather, for instance, the last two races were in the Summer heat and Trek was in wonderful Fall weather with no humidity. The actual race course and locations have also been different each time and even the distances are not the same. I bet I could come up with a laundry list of all the different factors that affect my performance and the outcome of a race but I think what matters most is that I discovered that I really enjoy this 3-sport event.

Let's break it down, shall we?

SWIM. It was a chilly start but thankfully the water was warm. I was calm and stayed in the very back of the pack. My focus was to swim as calmly as I have done so many times when I am at Lake Pflugerville. The key skills I was trying to repeat were:

1. Coach Jen's quiet entry into the water

2. Coach Gina's 10 and 2 arm position

3. Sheila T's high elbow to grab/purchase the water

4. Coach Tracy's rotate the body without looking like a barge

This was the first time I swam in a race without going to a back stroke. I was calm and just kept swimming and sighting as best I could. Panic never crossed my mind even after I was hit in the face several times by arms, legs and feet and got slapped around by the waves. This was also the longest swim distance of all 4 triathlons.

T1. I had a dyslexic moment - it was pretty funny. At the swim exit, all the participants had their shoes lined up according to their race number. I got out of the water and jogged to my spot and noticed that my shoes were GONE!! OMG! I couldn't believe someone would take my shoes. I walked up and down the rows of shoes as other participants passed me. I decided I would just try to get up the hill in my bare feet since someone had taken my shoes. So I looked around for a race official or a volunteer to complain to first when I happened to look down at my legs! My number was 420 and I was standing in front of 240. Waaah, waah, waah! So I found my shoes, right where they were supposed to be and I ran up the hill to get to my bike. I think I was still disoriented because as I was taking my bike off the rack I noticed that my helmet and sunglasses were still hanging on the handlebars!

BIKE. Pedaling away even as I was going downhill because Coach Gina said it keeps the blood flowing through the legs. I remembered to push my heels down like Coach Tracy said and I could feel myself power through the uphills. The last hill was a doozy and it took everything I had to get to the top but I had to slow down to rest. Denise passed me on the last hill and shouted for me to "Come On!" Ugh! I was sooo tired. But I successfully completed the 2 loops.

T2. Somewhere between the bike dismount and racking my bike, I scraped my leg and opened up a wound I had on my knee. Crap! My knee was bleeding. Oh well! All the more reason to run for President of the Skinned Knee Club!

RUN. My feet hurt and my shoes felt funny. My plantar fasciitis is still around to remind me that it needs a lot of attention. I had to stop and check to make sure my orthotics were in the shoe correctly because they did not feel that way at all. Unfortunately, it was hard to pick up the pace with the pain shooting up the balls of my feel and my heels. I just plodded along until the pain finally subsided and I was able to pick up the pace. It wasn't my best run (my best run pace was at Skeese Greets) or my best finish (my best finish was my sprint at Jacks Generic) but I was happy and satisfied.

I crossed the finish line and I claimed my bling!

My confidence level has improved significantly from my first race back in May. The anxiety that used to have a strangehold on me seems to have melted away. I know that my skill level, through practice, training and great coaching, has also improved too. Most importantly, I've met and made a lot of good friends who share the same passion and enjoyment of this challenging sport. I'm looking forward to more Triathlons next year!

This Pain the Butt, Pain in my Hip

2010-09-30T08:00:00.003-05:00

The first time I saw Kinesio Tape was on TV, during the 2008 Beijing Olympics with the USA Beach Volleyball duo of Kerri Walsh and Misty May. It was also that year that Martin and I ran the Inaugural Las Vegas Rock and Roll Marathon and Half Marathon and received Kinesio Tape in our bag of goodies. Nowadays, you see this tape on almost every type of pro athlete on TV. Curious about this advancement in physical therapy, I looked it up on line and found that the principles of this flexible tape make a lot of sense.

Here's what Kinesio Tape can accomplish when applied correctly: (go to http://www.theratape.com/ for the full post)

1.Provide structural support to joints and muscles without restricting a healthy range of motion.

2.Correct improper muscle function by providing neurosensory feedback during movement.

3.Relieve pain from both acute injuries and chronic pain conditions.

4.Reduce swelling and inflammation through enhanced lymphatic drainage.

5.Accelerate healing via improved blood flow to injured tissues.

6.Prevent overuse and overcontraction of working muscles.

7.Accelerate recovery from intense exercise.

8.Reestablish normal muscle activation following an injury.

9.Increase muscle tone in injured or neurologically inhibited muscles.

10.Delay fatigue and improve endurance through enhanced muscle ’snap back.’

Last week, I did not return to Advanced Rehab for my bi-weekly physical therapy. I felt like my progress was too slow. Surely, with the reduced training and increased rest, plus the hours spent on the rolling and stretching exercises that I would have moved further along in my recovery by now. I had a triathlon on the calendar and a marathon a few weeks after that. I decided to give Dr. Brian Ellsperman of Airrosti a call. My co-workers, Denise F. and Jodi B. have received treatments from them and both are very pleased with the results. I went to see him last Tuesday and after the initial testing and somewhat painful thumb kneading in my problem area, he sent me to Kelly for the stretching and rolling exercises and some kinesio taping.

So now, I have this black strip of tape running down the top of my thigh to the top of my hip as well as across the hip towards the back. Don't worry, I won't scar you with a picture of what it looks like on me. Needless to say, By Jove! I think it works! After my first session at Airossti, I was already feeling less discomfort in my hip. I didn't even feel anything during my Pilates class that evening. But the true test would be running.

Wednesday evening, I was signed up to do some track work with the Tri Zones group for the Fall running season. I know, I know, I'm already running with the Austin Galloway Group, what am I doing running with Tri Zones too? Let's just say that I'm way too social that I need to be in coached environment if I have to run around a track a few million times. Actually, Tri Zones teaches the Pose Running Method. I have read about this method and I even have the book on Pose running and on Pose triathlon. I've read part of the Pose triathlon but haven't finished it. The Pose running book is still sitting next to my bead untouched. I'll post something later about Pose Running.

Back to how my body felt while running with kinesio tape... my body felt no pain!! It was truly amazing. Granted, I think we only ran 3-4 miles on the track but I ran 5 miles on Tuesday morning and felt the pain in my hip about half way through the run. I got home and did my exercises and stretches and spent about half the time that I used to - no more hour long stretches for me!

I will test it again tomorrow morning with another 5 mile run. Of course, applying the new techniques I learned about Pose running and enjoying this gloriously wonderful Texas weather! My next appointment at Airrosti is Tuesday. I should have a lot to share with Dr. Ellsperman and Kelly.

Bands and Aids for my Plantar Fasciitis

2010-09-23T18:00:00.015-05:00

customized orthotics for over pronators

About 5 years ago, I paid a visit to the Austin Foot Center to help me with some heel pain. Dr. Brace, informed that that my feet over pronate, meaning they roll too far inward and fitted me with customized orthotics. He also confirmed that I had heel spurs and that the heel pain was from Plantar Fasciitis. He gave me some exercises to do at home as well as advised me to wear the orothotics as often as possible. I even got a new pair this year. I'm like a lot of people out there, once the pain and discomfort go away, all the therapeutic exercises seem to fade away as well. It's been a rude awakening for me to be confronted with injuries and problems that I had 5 years ago.

Since I've been going to Advanced Rehab for my TFL/IT Band pain, they've also been helping me with my Plantar Fasciitis. They use Trigger Point Performance Therapy equipment at their facitlity so I picked up a set to use at home since my foam roller had gotten a little soft and worn. They also gave me my own Resistance Band so that I can perform strengthening exercises for my feet and ankles. The exercises and stretches are quite painful but I feel like my muscles aren't as tight now that I've been diligently doing them over the last 3 weeks. Hopefully when I get a massage this weekend, I won't hear the therapist ask me to "relax" so much. Unfortunately, although my legs feel better, my feet still hurt especially first thing in the morning or after an extended amount of time sitting at my desk at work.

Trigger Point Hip and Lower Back Kit

One of my running buddies, Sherri D., told me about the Dorsal Night Splint, that her doctor recommended for her when she was suffering from plantar fasciitis. She was very willing to loan hers to me since she doesn't use it anymore but her foot problem was on her left and mine is on my right foot. Of course the DNS is foot specific so I couldn't "try it out" to see if it would even work for me. I even considered the Strassburg Sock, as seen all over Runner's World Magazine. But the idea of wearing a sock in this Texas weather made it less appealing. One thing I noticed that these devices had in common was that they kept the foot flexed while sleeping. So one night, I experimented keeping my feet flexed at night. I slept on our sectional sofa and pushed my feet up against the arm rest to hold my feet in a flexed position. The experiment seemed to yield positive results because the morning heel pain was definitely less noticeable. I knew I had to either go back to my podiatrist and get him to prescribe a DNS or some similar device for me (which meant precious time) or try and find one on-line.

Futuro, a 3M Product

Last Monday, I was at CVS and I happen to find a product right off the shelf that looked like the DNS but was called something else - Night Plantar Fasciitis Sleep Support by Futuro, a 3M Product. My friend Jenni B. who works at 3M, would be very happy to know that I purchased this product with confidence because it was made by 3M. I've been using this product the last couple of nights now and I'm pleased to say that I think it is most effective. The device has enough support that I know it's there and it's keeping my foot flexed, yet light enought that it doesn't bother my restful sleep.

It's a lot of equipment, a lot of exercises and stretches and a fair amount of money invested. But I'm investing in making my body well, and hopefully better, in the long run. I've cut back a lot on my training (going on 3 weeks now) and I feel like I'm recovering quite well. The plan is to get back on the training schedule next week in preparation for the Trek Women's Triathlon on October 3rd. Wish me luck and not break a leg!

Swimming Sheila's Way

2010-09-19T20:47:00.001-05:00

Sheila Taormina
Photo by Tom Marek

I've made some major, major progress with my swimming this year and I'm very grateful for the patient instruction from all the swim coaches that I've encountered in that journey - TriZone's Coaches Jen Reinhart, Gina Lardon, and Tracy Nelson; Total Immersion Coach Bob Wiskera and now Olympian and Gold Medalist Sheila Taormina.

Me, with Sheila's Olympic Gold Medal!
Photo by Tom Marek

TriZones hosted a 2-Hour Swim Workshop with Sheila Taormina during the Labor Day Weekend. I wasn't sure if it was for me so I asked one of my colleagues here at work, a swim instructor, for her opinion. She pointed out that based on the description, and Sheila's accomplishments, this workshop was a great value for 2 hour session. VALUE, that was enough encouragement for me to sign up.

Sheila complimenting me on my form! I'm all smiles.
Photo by Tom Marek

Sheila demonstrating "taking purchase of the water"
Photo by Tom Marek

That's me! Practicing with the Sport Vector Tubing
Photo by Tom Marek

I got to the pool a little early and the TriZones coaches were not there yet but I saw a few people I knew from previous swim classes standing around, talking and laughing. It turns out, Sheila was already in their midsts, getting the group excited about things to come in the next couple of hours. The workshop began with Sheila talking about the principles of what makes someone move faster in the water. "The Catch" and "The Paddle" are terms I've heard before from all my coaches yet it took an Olympian, for it to register in my brain. I must confess that it's not just because Sheila is an Olympian that made me finally get it. Early on, when Coach Jen talked about "The Paddle," I was still trying to make it to other end of the pool without drowning. When Coach Bob talked about "The Catch," I was still working on maintaining good body position in the water.

Pool Time with a brilliant sky above
Photo by Tom Marek

The second part of the workshop was in the pool and trying out the drills that help promote muscle memory and the technique of turning water into the "solid" and "taking purchase" of it. It felt very awkward and some were pretty tough to execute but I had moments when I could actually feel that I was taking a hold of the water to move myself forward. It was pretty neat!

When I saw Sheila at the Austin Triathlon Expo, I told her that I had heard some of the techniques she was teaching at the workshop but my skill level dictated whether I would understand that technique or not. I also told her that her teaching style and the drills really helped to bring the technique home. I hope Sheila comes back to Austin at another time because I will probably learn something new!

Out Of Control!

2010-09-17T17:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, sometimes LIFE just feels like it's spinning out of control. Whether it's a little or a lot, it's still just that - things are out of your contol. I'm sure everyone has felt this way few times in their life. These past few weeks have been out of my control and although I'm not is dire straits, the lack of control frustrates me. Did you hear "control freak?" Admittedly, I am, especially when it comes to myself, my person, my body. I know I can't expect control when I'm dealing with other people or circumstances and I'll be the first to put my hands up and surrender to it. But when we're talking about me, myself and I, then I get upset when any semblance of control seems to slip my fingers.

TFL muscle

I hate to admit it but the pain and tightness I feel around my TFL (tensor fasciae latae) is an overuse injury. I've been going to physical therapy twice a week, over the last 2 weeks. When I get home, I spend over an hour diligently rolling out and stretching my legs, calves and hips. I rest for a bit and then do it again. My running, biking and swimming routines are now at a minimum. I run, bike, and swim just once a week instead of my usual 2-3 times a week, so that I can give my muscles a break and allow them time to heal and recover. It's absolutely maddening but I know it's also absolutely necessary. The first week of this wasn't so bad because we had torrential rains from Hermine that week and it would have been impossible to work out anyway. This second week is a little more challenging especially when I see lots of active people all over town. I'm playing it by ear next week.

When I first went to Advanced Rehabilitation two weeks ago, I told the team of therapists there that I thought they would just give me a magic pill to make me better. They all laughed and so did I. Don't ask me why or how, but that irrational thought still lingers in my head and I think it has kept me in denial all this time about my true physical state. I didn't believe I had an injury when I first started feeling the pain around my hip and I thought it would just go away on its own if I didn't think about it so much. I've learned that my listening skills (as they apply to my own body) need work.

As I surrender to this injury, it's hard not to feel a little down in the dumps. Who am I kidding? I feel pretty bummmed and depressed now that the reality of my physical condition has set in. I've read so many articles about the emotional rollercoaster surrounding an injury that I should be well prepared for it. I've heard from friends who have gone through it and I'm usually the one giving them the pep talk. It's interesting being on the other side of the fence. Just like everyone else, I'll get over it! Nobody likes being a Debbie Downer.

A silver lining to all of this, I've improved my diet and I'm trying to eat lots of protein after each workout to aid muscle recovery. I'm also drinking more milk and eating more yogurt for the calcium. Keeping myself hydrated and trying to make it a habit instead of just a pre-race routine. I'm sleeping a little more, about an hour more if I don't have to teach, instead of my usual 4-5 hours.

I have one more Triathlon to complete for this season - the Trek Women's Triathlon and I am hoping that I've built a good enough base to be able to perform well during the race. Once that is complete, then I'll be turning my focus on Marathon season. I'm on a quest to break 4:00 hours or at least PR this year but that's another blog post.

Not So Fast, Speed Bump!

2010-09-09T18:00:00.002-05:00

There I was, thinking I was on a tear! I expanded my repertoire and added Triathlons this season. I thought for sure that with my Hypothyroidism under control, the additional cross training, and my continuing to teach core and strength classes, I could make up for the poor showing I had during last year's running season. NOT. Mother Nature has a very sneaky way of reminding us that we are but small, fragile creatures on this planet.

About 2-3 weeks ago, I started to feel this dull, nagging pain on my right hip. I thought I might have pulled a muscle there or something. I took an anti-inflammatory and continued to go about my daily routine. Within that time, I swam my first 1000 meters in open water on Friday, biked 22.3 miles on Saturday, and ran 23 miles on Sunday. At 9 miles into the 23 mile trek, the pain in my hip started to call out to me. The pain was by no means enough to make me stop but it was enough that I ended up slowing down - a lot! The following Sunday was mile repeats, aka speed work. It's a mind numbing workout. We were supposed to do 10 x 1 but I only completed 7. I tried lots of variations but nothing made the nagging, annoying pain go away.

TFL is where my pain is coming from

Last Tuesday, I finally made an appointment at Advanced Rehabilitation. Adv Rehab Staff are at a lot of local race expos and provide massages to the athletes after a race. Our Galloway Coach, Will Carlson, recommends them so I felt comfortable going to see them even if I've never been to a chirporactor before. The Diagnosis: TFL or Tensor Fascia Latae aka IT Band. I've had IT Band pain and problems before. The pain is usually localized on the side of my leg so when Dr. Fluitt explained to me the anatomy and structure of the leg and demonstrated to me the weakness I had in my right leg compared to my left, I conceded. I really don't like the word "weak" but it turns out that that's what's happened to my legs. You wouldn't say that if you saw them though. Sigh! I know the routine, I've been here before. I even blogged about "Running with Runner's Knee," I guess it's easy to forget once the pain and discomfort go away. Hopefully, I've learned my lesson.

My foam roller, which I've been using lately as a head rest while I watch TV, is back to serving it's purpose: To be my friend and daily companion as I roll out and stretch the tight muscles and knots on my hips, quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves. Apparently, all the stretching that I already do after every class isn't enough. Double Sigh!

So now I know what's wrong with me, I'm working on fixing it. But I also had to find out why I was having this problem in the first place. After a bit of research, I discovered that having underlying problem with pelvic mechanics - which I have with an SI joint disorder - could make my IT/TFL a chronic problem. Adding the crosstraining that comes with Triathlon training, apparently doesn't help. But I did find a possible strategy to implement from Sports Injury Bulletin: (I suggest reading the Case Study too)

Prevention

One strategy essential for preventing this pattern from developing and potentially causing injury is regular hip flexor and quadriceps stretching. Whichever position you prefer to stretch your quadriceps muscle group (standing, kneeling, sidelying etc), keep your knees together and your gluteal muscles contracted to ensure an ideal pelvic and spinal position. The muscle groups should be stretched daily and before and after activity (especially after cycling) to optimally prevent the development of ITB symptoms. As with all stretches, they should be held for approximately 30 seconds without bouncing, performed gently and slowly to the point of tension but never pain.
Self-massage to the outer side of the thigh between the knee and the hip can also assist in reducing tightness in the ITB. Icing the distal ITB is essential after running and cycling for 20 minutes.
Lower-limb stability, strength and balance exercises are crucial in rectifying ITBFS predisposing factors. Single leg squats and lunges can remarkably improve lower-limb control if performed in front of a mirror with good alignment where the knee flexes over the middle toe. This ensures that the Gluteus Medius activates effectively and that the TFL remains underactive.
Assessing biomechanics
Another strategy used in the prevention and assessment of ITB friction syndrome is to assess the triathlete’s running and cycling biomechanics. The biomechanics of the Australian triathlon squad members are routinely assessed by their respective State Institutes of Sport and/or their individual coaches. They are performed via video analysis where coaches, physiotherapists and biomechanists can assess running and cycling technique and prescribe various drills and strategies to aim to rectify any biomechanical flaws.
In conclusion, ITBFS is a complex over-use injury that can be easily treated symptomatically but has numerous predisposing factors that if not addressed will lead to persistence and/or recurrence of symptoms.

Wish me luck and if I seem to have fallen off the wagon of stretching and rolling, I'm sure Mother Nature will create a speed bump along the way to remind me.

From Bob's Running Bag

2010-09-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

This is Bob Stephens, he is one of the coaches of the Galloway Running Group here in Austin. I ran my first ever Half Marathon with Bob, the San Antonio Rock and Roll Half Marathon. BOB IS FAST. Bob often places in the top 10 of his age group. Most recently, Bob placed 2nd in his age group in a time of 26:26, an average pace of 8:22 at the NOCC Balance 5K. If you're familiar at all with Texas weather, you'll know that running at this pace, in this heat and humidity, is a tremendous feat of physical prowess at any age! So when Bob shared with our running group, some scientific data compiled by Dr. Mirkin about How Exercise Prolongs Life By Making You Stronger, I just had to share it here. Diabetes, high cholesterol, and osteoporosis (in the women) runs rampant in my family genetics. Although, not immediately life threatening, these are diseases that can certainly hamper one's enjoyment of life. I lead an active lifestyle because I enjoy the adrenaline rush and the high endorphin levels that come with physical activity but my ulterior motive is to stave off one or all of these genetic diseases. Being around other active people, like Bob here, serves as daily inspiration and motivation to jump out of bed and go for a run at o'dark thirty. Thanks Bob!

We all know deep inside that exercising should improve health and possibly longevity. Dr Mirkin’s article below actually gives a bit of a scientific basis for those beliefs. Since I am following Jeff Galloway’s “Running until 100” program, I figure I’m 2/3s of the way there. Also, check out the benefits of exercise listed in the article.

Keep putting one foot in front of the other (repeat many times!). Bob Stephens
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Dr. Gabe Mirkin's: How Exercise Prolongs Life by Making You Stronger

As you age, you become progressively weaker. If you exercise regularly, you will not become as weak as other people your age who do not exercise. The same mechanism that makes you stronger will also help you to live substantially longer than people who do not exercise.

Harvard researchers have proven that exercise prevents loss of the connections between nerves and the muscles that they enervate caused by aging (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, published online August 29, 2010 ). The researchers studied genetically engineered mice with nerve cells that glow in fluorescent colors. Muscles are made up of millions of individual muscle fibers. Every muscle fiber is enervated by a single nerve.

If the nerve dies, the muscle enervated by that nerve also dies.

With aging, all humans and mice lose nerves that cause their corresponding muscle fibers to die also. However, mice placed on just one month of exercise in later life actually regained some of the lost connections between nerves and muscle fibers. This is the same mechanism that helps revive nerves in the brain to slow down and even stop the loss of mental function associated with aging. Exercise also prevents loss of strength associated with aging that causes falls, broken bones and injuries in older people.

Researchers at The University of Western Ontario in London just reported that competitive runners with an average age of 65 had the same number of nerves and muscle fibers as younger recreational runners, and far more muscle fibers and nerves than non-exercising age-matched controls (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, September 2010).

This helps explain why exercisers live more than 12 years longer than those who do not exercise (British Journal of Sports Medicine, March 2008). Many other studies show that lifelong physically active older mammals have greater numbers of muscle fibers and their associated nerves than comparable-age mammals that do not exercise. Intense exercise is far more effective than casual exercise to:

* Prevent and treat diabetes (Circulation, July 2008; J. Applied Physiology, January 2006)
* Prevent heart attacks in obese people without weight loss (MSSE, October 2006)
* Prevent heart attacks (MSSE, July 1997)
* Reduce belly fat (MSSE, November 2008)
* Prevent premature death (Heart, May 2003).
* Prevent metabolic syndrome and heart attacks (Ex. and Sports Sciences Reviews, July 2009)
* Raise HDL cholesterol (Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, March 2009)
(Caution: Exercise can cause heart attacks in people with blocked coronary arteries.)

Silence is Golden but Fun is Red, White and Blue

2010-08-27T17:00:00.004-05:00

I know I've been pretty quiet. I completed my 3rd Triathlon last August 22nd [Sweet and Twisted Tri at Pace Bend Park] and I haven't talked about it at all!! No, there's no gag order or a code of silence that I agreed to. I am actually making an effort not to whine and bash myself for my performance during the race, thus the silence. I'm breaking the silence now, but not with the intent to pick apart what I did wrong or right at the race. I'm breaking the silence to share with you just how awesome it felt to be wearing Team Tri Zones colors.

I purchased and wore the TriZones tri top for this race. I'm not usually the type of person who goes crazy about wearing school or team colors but what a difference it made. Here's what you get when you wear TriZones colors during a race:

Warm smiles from perfect strangers
Easy conversation to make the triathlon jitters go away
Lots of mention from the race announcer
Cheering from other TriZones athletes on the course
Cheering from other TriZones families waiting at the finish line
Lots of "Go TriZones" and even more high-fives
Encouragement galore
A great tent to gather in
Positive feedback
Tips for the next race for added motivation
TEAM SPIRIT

You've Come a Long Way Baby!

2010-08-18T08:00:00.003-05:00

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I LOVE THE WATER! My mom was petrified of the water so we girls never had swimming lessons as kids except for my brother. Whatever swimming skills I had as a kid I learned from reading books about how to swim, mimicking other swimmers or listening to my cousins talk about their swimming lessons. The first swimming lesson, I took in my life was with TriZones last Spring.

Although my mom was afraid of going into the water, she didn't prevent us from enjoying it. I grew up spending my summers playing in a pool, lake, river or beach. As an adult, I scuba dive, snorkel, wake board and kite board, just to name a few water activities that I enjoy. Water was never intimidating or scary. But, I was never more afraid of the water than when I had to swim freestyle in it. I don't know what it was that freaked me out. Maybe it was because my head had to be submerged in the water with no air? Maybe I was required to move forward on my own without the help of fins or a board? Whatever it was, that fear and anxiety is now long gone. Hooray!!

Last Friday, a few TriZoners were supposed to meet at Lakeway City Park for a swim at 6:00 p.m. I had planned on being there on time but because of a few unexpected delays, including running into traffic, I didn't get to the park until almost 7:00 p.m. I didn't see anyone from TriZones there but I didn't want to waste the drive and not swim. I swam alone while Martin looked on. The swimming area is pretty small and I can't even guess at the distance but I swam up and down applying the tips Coach Wiskera (from the TI Workshop in Dallas) gave me the day before via phone as we viewed my video from the workshop (see below). The water was murky and smelled a little funny but it was warm and there were no waves. A few months ago, I probably would have waded and played instead of swimming laps.

Tri Zones is also hosting a Swim Clinic this upcoming Labor Day Weekend and I've signed up to participate. Here are a few details about it.

Sheila Taormina, a 4-time Olympian (gold in swimming '96, 2 x triathlon '00,'04, pentathlon '08) will be in Austin over Labor Day weekend, and Tri Zones Training is very excited to announce that we are scheduling 2-hour hands-on swim clinics with her. The class size will limited to 20 so that individual stroke attention may be given. The fee for the clinic will be $65 to Tri Zones members. Included in the clinic price will be a copy of Sheila's new book, Call the Suit, and a pair of strength cords for dry-land exercises, which she will demonstrate during the clinic. The clinic begins with an out-of-water classroom and Q & A session, and is then followed by a dryland and in-water swim session. Attendees will learn what it means to "feel" the water as well as how to develop the strength and flexibility that is required for faster swimming.
For more information on Sheila, go to her web site to read more about her and her new book: http://www.sheilat.com Sheila is a 4-time Olympian in 3 different sports (swimming, triathlon 2x, pentathlon), a gold medalist in 1996, a former World #1 Ranked female triathlete, and a World Champion.. Sheila has worked with the Danskin Triathlon series in the past, and has a great enthusiasm for working with all-women's groups and events.
This clinic will benefit all swimmers, from beginner to intermediate/advanced, you will all learn how to improve your stroke. Note that you do need to be able to swim freestyle stroke, as this is not a teaching-you-how-to-swim, but improving on what you do in/with the water to make you a better more efficient swimmer.

So if I'm so comfortable and confident in the water and having just attended the 2-day intensive workshop in Dallas, why would I choose to attend another clinic? Because there is so much room for improvement and opportunities like this don't come very often, it would seem a waste if I didn't jump on it. Besides, how can I ever fulfill my dream to complete and Iron Man Triathlon if I don't continually work on improving my swimming skills?

I leave you with a short video of me, taken during the TI Workshop in Dallas. I don't think I swim like this anymore. Monday, I swam 1000 meters plus a 500 meter warm-up and cool down at pool at the Town Lake Y. I know my efficiency has improved otherwise I would have been very tired after my swim. Just like anything else, my swimming isn't spot on perfect 100% of the time but I am mindful of my actions and make adjustments along the way. I owe much of my improvement to all the coaches and swimmers who have been encouraging and helpful with their tips. I've come a long way baby! So if you're wrining your hands, wondering if you can learn to swim, trust me, if I can do it, you can too!

Fit People... meet Gail

2010-08-15T13:06:00.003-05:00

Gail attends my Pilates Class at the Town Lake YMCA. Like many people new to Pilates, Gail was very mechanical in the beginning. After a few years, Gail appears to be more mindful in her execution of the Pilates movements we do in class. I learned that Gail rides horses and uses the skills she has learned in Pilates to help her become a better rider. The statements below are all from Gail. I just asked the questions. If you'd like to know more about Gail, please visit her website: http://www.gailfolkins.com/

Tell me something about you.

Originally from Washington state, I have lived in Austin since 1989 and work as a writer (creative and freelance) and a college English instructor. I also help out at a stable one day a week. My husband, a musician/luthier, inspired a creative nonfiction book I wrote about Texas dance halls.

Talk about horse riding. When did you start? How did you get started? What makes it special for you?

I started riding horses when I was 14. My family, at least initially, was apprehensive because of safety and cost concerns, so it became a sport I did on my own. In the small town where I grew up in, I worked at a local barn, cleaning stalls to pay for riding lessons. The mix of being outdoors and the animal partnership hooked me, and I kept it up in my adult life by riding other people’s horses and eventually having a horse or two of my own.

At a show last year (2009). Tesoro demonstrates a downward stretch at the trot, one of the last movements in the test, while the judge looks on in the background. Photo courtesy of Laurie Virkstis.

I now own a quarter horse named Tesoro. Tesoro’s fluid gaits, similar to a dancer, make him a good candidate for a sport called dressage, where horse and rider perform a series of movements together. Through dressage, a French word for training, the rider communicates movements to the horse using subtle signals or “aids.” A light touch of the calf on a horse’s side, for instance, causes the horse to move forward or laterally; tightening of the core and thighs curtails the horse’s forward movement, slowing or stopping it. Anything the rider’s body does impacts the horse.

Talk about your fitness regimen. Do you have a routine? Have you always been fit? Do you have a favorite?

My regimen consists of horseback riding several times a week along with Pilates (ideally twice a week). I supplement with cardio through dog walking and taking horses back and forth to pasture, as well as occasional weights at the gym for strengthening. Growing up, I never considered myself athletic, but working with horses has given me an opportunity to tap into their power and elegance.

How do you stay motivated? Do you like to compete?

The physical component energizes me, and there’s a mental aspect that’s a real motivator too. When I ride, I don’t think about anything but the horse and what we’re doing, whether my aids are effective, and what else is going on around us that could influence the horse. It takes focus, a concentration that clears my head of stress or hurrying.

The warm-up arena of a horse show I attended this April. Tesoro performs a canter, his favorite gait. Photo courtesy of Laurie Virkstis.

I also compete at local schooling shows. Each dressage test, which is ridden individually, consists of a series of movements. A judge watches these moments and scores each, providing a numeric score and written commentary, which is great feedback. There are also different levels, so once a rider meets the goals at one level, it’s time for her to move up to the next. There’s always something new to learn, which is a huge motivator.

Talk about changes due to fitness - physically, mentally, etc.

Tesoro is one of the strongest horses I’ve ever ridden. Friend and dressage coach Grace Harris recommended I strengthen my core to ride him effectively. I have always been limber, but needed greater control of my body movement, particularly with a powerful horse like Tesoro, who could pull me out of position just by stretching his neck and lengthening the reins. Having a strong core means I’m centered in the saddle with a straight back and shoulders that don’t shift forward as easily. When I’m centered and still, this in turn keeps Tesoro balanced and easier to control. Pilates work with Kim has without a doubt helped me become a more effective dressage rider.

Any advice you want to share? If not advice, tips?

Photo courtesy of Laurie Virkstis.

One of the things I appreciate about Pilates is its impact on posture, not only for riding but also for walking the dog, writing an essay on the computer, or teaching in a classroom. The Pilates movements stay with me outside of the gym, reminding me to use my core and to stand or sit up straight.

My Pilates experience, like my horseback riding and dressage experience, has built over time. From the past two years, I feel the cumulative impact of working up to and performing each movement correctly rather than trying to do too much too soon.

Thank you Gail! It's been great getting to know more about you and learning about dressage. Tesoro is a beautiful horse and you look absolutely regal and exquisite riding him. Thanks for sharing your time and your photos.

Stop and Smell the Roses

2010-08-10T22:00:00.008-05:00

After my rant about all the silly mistakes I made during my second tri, I received a few responses from my friends that reminded me that I needed to celebrate and congratulate myself for my accomplishment - completing a Triathlon. I must admit that I was quite happy and pleased with myself after the race and I even openly verbalized it to Martin during the 45 minute drive back home. I guess it seemed enough at the time before I was back to breaking down my performance and scrutinizing it to death. After all, it's not like I placed in the top 10 of my age group so I didn't feel it was worthy of too much celebration.

Since that post, I've taken my friends' advice to heart and I've been trying hard to be less self-critical and instead, focus on my progress everytime I am out training. Like the title of this post, I'm stopping to smell the roses and appreciate the efforts and progress that I make at every work out instead of belittling myself for all my mistakes and shortcomings. I have another Triathlon coming up on August 22, The Sweet and Twisted Tri in Spicewood, TX. Hopefully, the positive attitude will translate into positive results.

So here goes... Friday morning at 6:00 a.m., I had a date with Jody, a TriZoner, to swim at Barton Springs Pool in our wetsuits. I tried to take the plunge but as soon as my body was enveloped in that 68 degree water, I found myself gasping, although I felt more like screaming, and I quickly got out of the chilly black water. Swimming in cold water is not for me. At least not yet, I haven't developed any kind of tolerance for it yet. Still happy I tried it.

Since I didn't get to swim that morning, I decided that I would join the TriZoners that go out to Lake Pflugerville every Friday for a swim. I arrived a little late but kayakers were still out watching for swimmers. Off I went in warm water that seemed to equal the ambient temperature so it was like stepping into a bath. It was nice. I swam the 500 meter loop and stayed on course as much as I could. For me, the last half of the course, the way back to shore, is usually a little more challenging because the waves are slapping me in the face and that makes the buoys a little harder to spot. I made it back to shore and chatted with a few swimmers about the challenges of sighting and staying on course. It wasn't long before I decided to head out again. This time, I just wanted to swim the part that was troublesome for me. I knew the waves would still be in my face but I didn't let it intimidate me this time. I sighted a little more often and managed to stay on course. It felt good. Next time, my goal is to swim 800 meters although I don't think any of the markers in the lake make that distance possible. It just might be 1000 meters or not at all. I am in awe of myself for having conquered and built the confidence to swim 500 meters in open water and here I am, exploring the idea of swimming twice that distance.

Saturday I taught my 2 classes at the Town Lake YMCA, ran a few errands and just chilled the rest of the day in preparation for Sunday's 20 mile run. The long run on Sunday started at 5:00 a.m. with very little reprieve from the scorching Texas temperatures. By the time we reached our first water stop, about 4 miles, I was already wringing out sweat from my singlet and shorts! At our 4:1 ratio, our group ran at a pretty decent pace. It wasn't at race pace, but it wasn't at a snail's pace either because we didn't see any of the other groups catch up to us at any of the water stops. When we reached our last water stop, by the 1st St. Bridge, we were faced with a choice: a.) choose to run on more road but face 99 % of the sun and heat or b.) find some trees and shade but be subjected to the energy sucking power of the trail. We chose b.). Without any hesitation, I told the group that I was taking a 5 minute walk to get my legs and feet used to the softer surface of the trail. We had been running on the road for the last 18 miles and gleaning from experience at our last long run, I felt it was best to get my feet and legs accustomed to the surface change early. That turned out to be a great decision. I was able to end the run with enough energy for a short little sprint. Sweet!

I really love Triathlon training! The variety keeps it challenging and interesting because no workout is ever the same. Couple this training with teaching group fitness classes and Pilates has shaped me to become an athlete - a better athlete than I was this time last year. But, I must say that there is nothing like distance running to remind me just how tough this sport is. After the long run, I sat and soaked in a cold bath. This has got to be the simplest, yet most effective recovery tip that I have received and tried. By Monday morning at 6:00 a.m., I was back at the Town Lake YMCA teaching a Pure Strength class.

I kind of like this attitude adjustment. I can't promise to keep it up all the time, but I hope that these moments of self-affirmations will help make my journey to athletic achievements a more enjoyable one.

Triathlon #2 - Jack's Generic

2010-08-05T17:00:00.001-05:00

After completing my second triathlon, I realized just how "green" I still am at all of this. Not just in the multi-sport racing realm, but in the entire mind set involved in participating in a race. For my second triathlon, I joined Tri Zones Training to help guide me through the workouts and keep me on track because I would have probably found many excuses not to go out and run or bike or swim. Although our group met only once a week, it was enough to keep me motivated to train on the other days so that I wouldn't end up looking like a total idiot when the group got together on Wednesday.

For my training, I put on blinders and focused a lot of time, energy and attention on the swim since it was my weakest sport. Fortunately, it paid off. I was able to swim the 500 meter distance. It wasn't pretty and far from perfect but I managed to complete it without panicking. When I felt like I was swimming frantically and getting anxious and out of breath, I'd turn on my back for a short breather (backstroke) and then proceeded to do my freestyle again. Hopefully, I'll learn to wean myself off the backstroke. I improved my swim by 00:54 seconds per mile. Skeese Greets was 4:06/M at 300 meters while Jack's Generic was 3:12/M at 500 meters. I'd say that was an improvement. I still have to get used to bumping into people or having them bump into me. It was really disconcerting not being able to see anything in the murky waters of TSR yet feel all sort of limbs slap me here and there.
Rookie Mistake #1: wearing clear goggles instead of tinted goggles so it was a little challenging looking into the summer sun.

For Jack's Generic, I bought and trained on a road bike along with clip shoes. Transitioning from the swim to the bike was slower than at Skeese Greets. I could not make myself run in my clip shoes, I felt like I was going to break them. So instead, I walked to the start of the bike course and lost some precious time. Practicing transitions would have helped but I hardly did it during my training.
Rookie Mistake #2: practice transitions and don't take them for granted. It's called the 4th sport in tri's for a reason.

The bike course was completely unnerving. It was rough and pebbly and the vibrations reverberated throughout my body. I instantly thought of the "cobbles" of the Tour De France. At some point I recalled the article in Runner's World about Triathlons and thought about the author words of "cycling through the pain." My best was only 15.4 mph. even with a new road bike. Oh well! Then, when I was about 10 feet from the dismount area, I experienced a major brain fart. I was supposed to unclip my feet from my bike but for some reason, my body would not move and my mind was drawing a blank. Which foot? Do I press the brakes? A volunteer was barking out commands and pointing towards the ground. For the life of me, I couldn't understand what she was trying to say. I finally put my foot down and managed not to fall off my bike, that was good.
Rookie Mistake #3: practice clipping in and out while someone is yelling at you to simulate race day conditions.

Photo by Tom Marek

I managed to find my spot but I couldn't rack my bike because my pedals were caught on Denise's bike which was nicely racked next to me. A volunteer had to help me untangle the bikes and I finally got the bike racked. My running shoes should just slip onto my feet because I'm using elastic laces. I practiced this the day before. The shoes were oddly tight. Not only have I never run using elastic laces, I also have not run in these shoes (Brooks GTS X) since May. I also wasn't using my new orthotics that my podiatrist made for me in May. My old orthotics were in these shoes and my new ones were in the shoes that I run in - at home. My toes are numb, my heels hurt, and it hurts to run. Sad. This was my favorite event and I completely bombed but I managed to sprint for the finish. I'm happy it's over.

Rookie Mistake #4: train in the equipment to be used on race day.

My finish time: 1:47:16
Lots of room for improvement. Lots more to learn.

Why Run-Walk-Run?

2010-07-28T18:30:00.005-05:00

There are a lot of philosophies and approaches to running. Just grab an issue of Runner's World Magazine and you'll be inundated with tips and tricks that seem contradictory to each other. As with anything that life dishes out, I take them as they come and pick and choose whatever works best for me.

I have been running the Galloway Run-Walk-Run method since I decided to run my first Half Marathon in 2008. The run-walk method works well for me because my IT (iliotibial) band no longer bothers me when I run longer than 7 or 8 miles. There was one time when I had already adopted the Galloway Method and my IT band pain flared up uncontrollably, even when I walked! I was afraid that even the gentle method of Jeff Galloway had failed to fix my problem. It wasn't long before I found the culprit - my running shoes. As the midsole of my shoe wore down, an imbalance developed and caused all the excruciating pain to come back. So now, I don't even bother finding "good deals," I just head to our running store to get properly fitted for a new pair of shoes.

There are runners who would say that this method is not for "real" runner because of the walk breaks. But since this is my blog, let me put this question out there. When a "real" runner and a Galloway runner cross the finish line of a 26.2 mile race, don't they each get the same medal and the same congratulations? Does the "real" runner's medal have a different designation than the Galloway runner? The answer is no. There are people who juggle stuff while running, some who dribble a basketball all 26.2 miles, some who run backwards, some who run on stilts. It doesn't matter how you cross the finish line, just that you do.

I don't doubt that I can complete 26.2 miles running all the way but in what condition would I be at the finish? Tired? Grumpy? Do I want to be completely useless after such an accomplishment? I want to be able to celebrate, enjoy and share stories with friends and family. Yeah, so I'm probably going to be a little sore. I can't avoid that, but I'm still functioning and moving around. Kudos to those that prefer to run all the way. As for me and my short legs, we're going to take a walk break before we run again.

I run-walk-run so that I can enjoy this sport for many, many years. Jeff Galloway is 65 years old and continues to run and participate in Marathons, Half Marathons and shorter distance races. I think that says it all. Even if I train my heart out, I will never win a foot race nor would I even consider trying to train like the elite runners of the world so why not try to be more gentle with my body when I run?

Just today, my triathlon training group had a run workout. It consisted of a 0.65 mile loop at 10k race pace and then a 0.35 mile recovery pace (about 1-2 minutes slower than race pace). We did the loops 5 times for a total of 5 miles. I used my Galloway run-walk-run and I ran for 4:00 minutes and walked for 1:00 minute. I was able to keep running during the longer loop and walked during the smaller loop. It was hot and humid but I was able to maintain an overall pace of 8:50 with the walk breaks. After the workout, I headed to the office, taught a Pilates class and headed back to work. My legs still felt great even after having run mile repeats the morning before.

If you're interested in learning how this method works. Read about it here. Then join one of the Galloway Training groups here in Austin. You can give it a try before you join. I think you'll enjoy the method as well as the easy going nature of all the runners in the group.

I Swim, I Swam, I Conquered

2010-07-26T08:00:00.007-05:00

I love the water, whether in a pool, a lake or in the ocean, I have lots of fun. Unfortunately, I discovered that I cannot really swim in the water. You know when you see movies or TV shows where someone swims from somewhere in the middle of nowhereto the shore? That would not be me. I seriously doubt that I could do that. So for the last 5 months, I have obsessed about becoming a swimmer. My ultimate goal is to be able to participate in triathlons. Who knows? Maybe one day I can swim something like the English Channel? NOT.

My swimming journey began with group lessons, then studying an instructional DVD and books, reading tons of articles on the internet, open water swim clinics and a 2-day swim workshop. Of course this doesn't include all the hours spent practicing. Learning anything new has it's ebbs and flows, a learning curve. There are moments where the light clicks on and stays bright for a bit of time and then dims or even goes out and just when you think you just don't get it, the light comes back on again.

Last week, my triathlon training group had our 2nd open water swim workout. We had an open water swim workout at the end of June and although it wasn't too disastrous, it wasn't exactly successful. Read about it here if you want to know the details. The light was bright in my head and I swam the warm up route with relative ease. I wasn't even the last to finish. We swam some practice drills including sighting techniques and then we swam this triangular route again. Not only did I surprise myself at what I had accomplished with my swimming, the coaches were duly impressed at my progress and showered me with kudos. I was on cloud 9!

I headed back to the pool on Friday to practice a few specific skills and then Saturday, I tested to see if I could swim at least 500 meters (20 laps in a 25 meter pool). The light must have still been on in my head because I completed the 500 meters in approximately 15 minutes (the time is a guess because I didn't have my stop watch on). My 2nd Triathlon is coming up on August 1st and I am already signed up for my 3rd Triathlon on August 22 for the Sweet and Twisted Triathlon. My confidence level is pretty good right now and am counting on this confidence to keep me calm during the swim. In the mean time, I will keep swimming even when the lights have dimmed in my head because I know the light will turn on again eventually.

Do you Exercise? Work Out? or Train?

2010-07-22T18:00:00.013-05:00

If you asked me this question about ten years ago, I'd tell you that I exercise. Exercise was the only way that I could be assured that I could fit comfortably in my clothes and stave off the dreaded annual weight gain due to increased calorie intake and a screwed up metabolism. I exercised at least 3 times a week at the gym but never on a weekend because that was reserved for R & R. I also hated dieting so exercise was the only way to balance things out.

Fast forward a few years later, maybe about seven years ago. If you asked me this same question, I'd tell you that I work out. Aside from my usual exercise routines at the gym, of which now included a weekend day, I added outdoor running to my arsenal. My objectives were still the same: "Keep the annual weight gain at bay." At this time however, I had also started participating in local races. The races I joined were usually on a Sunday so I included a day or two of running during the week. So in addition to my original objective, I wanted to be able to complete a race and not be the last person to cross the finish line. I worked out to stay in relatively the same physical size and shape but also be in good physical conditioning to run at least 3.1 miles. Dieting was still an unpleasant task so I tried to approach food for it's nutritional value. I wasn't always successful but I was getting better at it.

Turn that clock forward one more time to 2008 and slowly take progressive screen shots to the present time. I'm still doing all of the above but I've also developed a few additctions: The Long Distance Running and Multi-Sport Bugs. My objectives are slightly changed because at this point, I'm not as worried about calorie intake and slowing metabolism as I was before. My objective is to achieve a PR or a Personal Record whenever I race. With this type of objective, everytime I am at the gym, on the road, or in the water, I train my body, my muscles, my mental state, to become a better race participant. So if you ask me what I do to stay in shape? I'll tell you that I train to strengthen my core and my body, I train to run faster, I train to swim longer, and I train to bike further. I still hate dieting but I'm making better food choices these days. The quality of my calorie intake will dictate the quality of my training.

How about you? What do you do?

Surprise Yourself with a Tri

2010-07-20T22:00:00.000-05:00

I was surprised to open up the August Issue of Runner's World and found a pretty substantial article about Triathlon Training, tips for a successful tri, including a 6-week training program to complete a triathlon (click on the image on the left if you want to read the article; you'll have to pick up a copy of RW to get the training program). I should have known Runner's World would eventually touch on Triathlons. According to Joel Friel, author, former marathon runner and triathlon coach for almost 30 years, "I'm not a sociologist or a psychologist, so I can't speak to what motivates the crowds to get into this sport. But I can say that since triathlon was accepted into the Olympics in 2000, growth has exploded." Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/04/03/f-triathlon.html#ixzz0uEotuIeH

I started training for my first triathlon about 6 weeks before the race. That start date was pure accident and not planned. I began my training by learning how to swim more than 25 meters freestyle with pool practice at least twice a week, I added in a couple of spin classes into the mix and continued with my normal runs three days a week. One thing I realized, during all this, was that triathlon training added a lot more activities in my life. By the time race day came and went, I concluded that the amount of training certainly didn't seem proportionate to the amount of time spent during the race. I trained 8 hours a week for 6 weeks. That's a total of 48 hours of training for a race that lasted under 2 hours. Now, I don't mean to discourage anyone by the time commitment required to train for a triathlon - I'm just saying that this is what I had to do. And I would do it all over again - in fact, I am!

If you run regularly, one third of the training is already taken care of. For most runners, the most challenging part of the training would be the swimming. The bike ride is fairly easy to learn and success is dependent upon being comfortable on the bike. Transitions, which get you from swim to bike (T1) and bike to run (T2), provide an opportunity to rest, catch your breath, and calm down from the frenzy. The secret to successful transitions is organization. During my first Tri, by imagining and enacting what I would need at each stage, I was able to bring with me all the necessary tools I would need to be ready for the next sport. I also found some great checklists on-line.

At my tri, even if I was one of the last out of the water, I managed to pass quite a few people during the bike ride and even more people during the run. Most runners will find themselves in a similar predicament and it feels satisfying because it further validates your running ability. Find short distance tri's - usually called sub-sprints - that have short distance swims to make the swim more manageable. Practicing in open water is crucial and should be done regularly. For first timers, I don't think any amount of Open Water swimming can be enough or sufficient for a first timer to be comfortable in the water.

Once you complete your first tri, it's hard not to think about doing it again. I know that's how I feel. The only thing that stops me from doing more is my Marathon Training schedule. I still love and enjoy running for it's simplicity and ease but Triathlons provide a wonderful option during the Spring and Summer, when long distance running is in hiberation.

Postponing BQ

2010-07-18T18:06:00.000-05:00

Early in May, I attended Jeff Galloway's Running School. My friend Alicia, had just run the Boston Marathon and qualified to run it again. I was so inspired by my friend Alicia and motivated by Jeff that I had decided that I would try to qualify for the Boston Marathon. The training plan seemed so doable, the goal so achievable. Jeff's plan included one extra day of running from what I was already doing. I knew I could manage that. Unfortunately, not long after my decision, came my 1st Triathlon and I loved the multi-sport race even if I wasn't very good at it.

Over the last few months. I've been training for another Triathlon (Jack's Generic Tri), a couple of Marathons scheduled in October (Frankenthon Marathon) and November (Philadelphia Marathon) and I have been attempting to complete the training plan for Boston. Of course with all of this training, I continue to work at the office and teach classes at the Y. Earlier this week, I called in sick the Monday after attending the TI Swim Workshop in Dallas. I was so exhausted from the activities of the 2-day event that I wasn't even able to run the prescribed 4 x 2 repeats that Jeff Galloway had outlined in his Boston Training Plan book. It took me all day Monday and Tuesday morning to recharge my batteries!

So that Tuesday, I sent an email to my running coach to let him know that I decided that I was no longer going to try to qualify for Boston this year. I explained that I had been unable to follow the training plan as outlined by Jeff and that I didn't want to set myself up to try and catch up with the program and risk getting injured. I'm glad that my coach supported my decision and applauded me instead for my efforts this year to do triathlons.

I still have a time goal this year for my Marathons, I'm just not trying to meet the 3:50 time. The last few issues of Runner's World Magazine contains plans to help runners reach their time goals this year. I hope to be able to follow the plan as much as possible so that I can PR at one of my races this year. I'm excited to see what I can do this year. The triathlon training has not hurt but has actually helped. With all the cross training I find that I have actually become a stronger runner this year.

Day 2: Build It Back Up

2010-07-15T23:00:00.002-05:00

An early start to the day (7:30 a.m.) means there's not a whole lot of time to worry about what happened or didn't happen on Day 1 of the TI Freestyle Swim Workshop. I checked out of my hotel and loaded up my car before I really wanted to and headed straight for the pool at Hockaday School.

We reviewed the basic principles of efficient swimming: 1. Balance 2. Alignment 3. Rotation. It sounds a lot like car maintenance or what you're supposed to do with your tires every X thousands of miles. I suppose there's a lot of similarity there. The swimmer is the vehicle in the water propelling forward. Like most vehicles on the road, speed and efficiency are primary objectives as it travels from point A to point B. Instead of drills, the Coach asks us to swim, with one caveat. Pick ONE skill and execute as best as possible.

I found balance by making a simple adjustment with my head position. I basically look straight ahead, or while in the water, I look down towards the bottom of the pool. This head position keeps my body submerged with only a sliver of my butt cheeks and thighs on top of the water.Maybe that's TMI but that's how we were instructed during the workshop. Coach had another description: Look at the hair balls and band-aids at the bottom of the pool (blech!).

To achieve alignment, I quietyly spear my arm into the water while keeping my arm at the 3 o'clock position with the arm covering the ear hole. My arms remain about shoulder width apart instead of crossing into my centerline. I practice this same arm configuration when I run and it enables me to breathe better and power through a run. Imagine my shock to realize that the same principle that I apply to running works with swimming!

Balance leads to alignment which leads to proper rotation. Proper rotations allows me to get a quick bite of air without compromising alignment and balance. Proper rotation also allows me to use my hips to drive my lead arm into the water and achieve a submarine-like vessel in the water. Proper rotation allows me to preserve my legs for the next leg of the triathlon since I don't need to use them to power myself through the water. It's a total domino effect on both sides - right and wrong. So focusing on doing ONE thing right is the best way to swim efficiently.

More underwater video recording takes place and we are introduced to a new tool - the Tempo Trainer. It works like a metronome and the goal is to finish the stroke at the beep. The tempo trainer slips under the swim cap and right above the ear. We start at a 1:45 beat and swim a few laps and then slowly reduce the time to 1:30. I enjoyed using this clever toy and hope to own one soon. Finding the right tempo should help with speed but never compromise the quality of the stroke.

A final video recording and some 1:1 critique from the coaches and we head out of the pool to watch our latest videos. It's no longer as painful to see myself swimming. I actually get complimented for my Shinji-like alignment and what appears to be the beginning of a 2-beat kick. There are still parts of my stroke that need work such as having a patient lead arm and swiveling my head to the side to breathe instead of rotating my shoulders. My stroke per length (spl) at the start of the workshop was 28, at the end of the workshop, I am at 22 spl. Am I a better swimmer after 2 days? Absolutely. My swimming can only get better.

Next week, my triathlon training group is going back to Mansfield Dam for an open water swim. This will be the test whether I am able to retain my new found stroke mechanics when I am presented with the stress of being in open water.

Break it Down to Build it Up

2010-07-13T18:00:00.001-05:00

Before the Total Immersion Workshop (July 10-11, 2010) in Dallas, I was feeling very good about my freestyle stroke. I had joined a 5:30 a.m. swim class earlier in the week with Coach Jen Reinhart and I felt like I was able to keep up with the group of swimmers in my lane without ever feeling worn out or out of breath. I didn't even feel tired after the swim because I joined my regular Tri group for a hill workout at 7:00 a.m. So when I arrived at the workshop in Dallas on Saturday morning, I was feeling pretty confident.

My main goal was to learn how to fine-tune my stroke. I had a set of questions that I wanted to ask that were specific to my needs. I also thought that once we did the cursory introductions and shared our experience in swimming, I would instead, talk about specific skills that I wanted to learn since my experience was quite limited. Unfortunately, that opportunity never came. The introduction consisted of name and one word to describe your swimming. My response was "Kim" and "slow." I was a little upset that I didn't get to tell the coach what I wanted to get out of the workshop. I wanted to share to the Coach my epiphany. That is: When I'm in the open water, after a few minutes of swimming, I feel like I'm being overwhelmed by a sense of panic and dread that I will not make it back to shore. I wanted to learn how to fix that because swimming back and forth in a pool doesn't seem to make a bit of difference.

Day 1: Warm-up a bit in the pool and proceed with some drills that focus on balance and rotation, body alignment and creating a long vessel in the water. (Please note, I'm oversimplifying this but there were a lot of drills involved). The coaches take out their video equipment and take a video of us above and below the water. Lane lines come out and we perform more drills, we circle swim at times, and the coaches are giving out specific instructions and pointers to each swimmer to help with building the foundation for efficient and effortless swimming. It's just past noon and we head out in separate groups to view the individual videos from earlier that morning.

After watching the likes of Michael Phelps and Shinji Takeuchi on video (see video), to see oneself swim on the screen brings out a range of feelings that can be best described as mild perplexity to profound shock. It was amazing to see how many of the basic requirements of swimming that we either failed to execute or failed to execute consistently. Whatever confidence I felt before I took that first stroke during the filming of the video was already gone by the time the analysis came around. Coach tells us this is the past, none of us swim this way anymore. I needed to hear that! It's a short break for lunch and then it's back in the pool again for more drills before the video equipment comes out again to record what has changed since the plunge earlier that morning. By 4:00 p.m. I don't feel like I'm swimming anymore. I'm not doing anything that feels familiar or comfortable. Coach tells us that if it doesn't feel weird or strange, then you haven't done anything different. I guess that means that everything I'm doing is different. There's a lingering feeling of frustration mingled with exhaustion. I'm unsure if I grasped everything that was taught to us the last 8 hours. I'm even less sure that I can retain it and execute what I have been able to learn by tomorrow. I'm afraid that if I go to sleep that I'll forget everything!!

Stay tuned for Day 2

It Takes Time

2010-06-30T18:00:00.001-05:00

I say it all the time to my Pilates students... "It takes time to get used to the movements and to think about everything involved to perform that movement. Be patient and practice." I should really learn to listen to my own advice!! At today's Tri Zones Training, we met at Mansfield Dam at 7:00 a.m. for our open water swim workout. I had never been to this place before and what a jewel of a place it is!! Of course I'm not surprised, this is Austin after all. We went down to a small swimming cove at the park where the water was nice and warm.

We started off with a warm up swim and I was the last to come in. I was slow and I stopped a lot but I felt relatively relaxed. I wasn't hyperventilating or panicking which is a great sign. I learned that sighting is still a big challenge for me and is a huge energy suck. My stroke is okay but I can't keep it up for very long probably because I don't sight properly. There's still a lot to learn and I'm far from even attempting to swim a race that requires swimming half a mile or 800 yards.

I walked back to the car with Jill, one of the intermediate triathletes. She asked me how long I had been running because I run so fast. Jill shared with me that this time last year, she couldn't even run half a mile and now she's able to run up to 3 miles. I explained to Jill that it had taken me about five years of running 5k's and 10k's before I even entertained the idea of running a Half Marathon but now I love the longer distance a whole lot more that I find 5k's aren't even worth the time because they're over so quickly. Jill acknowledged the same thing for her when it comes to Super-sprint Triathlons where the swim is shorter than half a mile. She loves to swim and prefers Triathlons with the longer swim segments. Our conversation moved on to scuba diving and families and we parted ways. The conversation however, stuck in my head.

I first stepped into a pool to learn how to swim laps without sinking and struggling the first Monday of April this year. That was a mere 90 days ago! Geez!! I realize that I need to be a little more patient with myself and stop expecting myself to look like the woman in this picture when I haven't even put in the due diligence to become proficient at this sport. Sure, I swim 3-5 times a week but it's still only an extremely short amount of time. Jill was on a swim team when she was a little kid. It took Jill 9-12 months to get from half a mile of running to 3 miles of running. It takes 6 months to train for a Marathon and several hundreds of miles of running. My Pilates students usually take 6-9 months to comfortably perform Pilates movements without stopping and at least a year to comfortably execute movements with the mind-body connection. The time I've put in to swimming is not even drop in the proverbial bucket. I must give it time. I must be patient. It will take lots of hours of practice. It will take lots of swimming in open water. It takes time.

What's up Doc? What's cookin'?

2010-06-24T22:00:00.000-05:00

What's Up?? Where have I been all month? June has been a very busy month!! So busy in fact that I haven't even had time for a blog post. So aside from a busy 9 hour work day and teaching fitness classes at the Y, I've continued to train, train and train. I was quite depressed when I choked during the Open Water Swim Clinic at the end of May. I had serious plans to join another clinic but my fear and anxiety got the upperhand and I easily found excuses not to go. Basically, I started the month of June in an emotional slump.

I didn't know what else to do except go back to the swim basics. I watched my Total Immersion Freestyle DVD and read the forum posts on the Total Immersion website. Reading other people talk about the same difficulties that I was having was comforting, but what was even better was reading the solutions to those problems. I practiced the drills and tried to incorporate as much of the solutions that made sense to me. Then I practiced the drills again, and again, and again until I was back to being a happy and relaxed swimmer again. Nowadays I'm in the pool as often as 4-6 days a week. I went back to Lake Pflugerville on a Friday evening and successfully swam 150 meters twice. There was a little bit of anxiety but nothing that was debiliating, thank goodness! I plan to go back and try a longer swim next time.

In June, Fall Marathon Training kicked into gear. We ran an 11 mile and 13 mile long run and then this coming Sunday, a 15 mile long run. Coach Will had incorporated various training goals into the running schedule - for First Time Finishers, Time Goal Finishers and Boston Qualifiers. Running makes me happy and I was quickly out of my slump and back on a runner's high.

I joined TriZones for their Summer Triathlon Training in preparation for my second tri, Jack's Generic, on August 1st. The training is every Wednesday morning for an hour and a half. With this program added to my schedule, I had to put Boot Camp at the office on hold again. I'm looking at doing Boot Camp on another day of the week. I also stopped going to Spin/Cycling class at the YMCA which was also on Wednesday. The TriZones workouts have been great. Coach Jen Reinhart, who was my swim coach when I took swim classes earlier this year, is also the Tri coach. I feel very comfortable and at ease with Coach Jen. She's very good at pushing you a little further, nudging you along until you realize that you've reached another milestone in your training. Working out with a group is also very motivating for me because it brings out my competitive nature.

The Friday before Father's day, I stopped at Jack and Adam's to inquire about getting fitted for a bike. I was interested in their Rookie Package. Jack, of Jack and Adam's, helped me get fitted on a Felt ZW100 and let me take out the bike for a few days. They installed regular pedals on the bike since I didn't own my own clip shoes and they loaned me a helmet as well. Over the weekend, I took the bike out on a few runs at the Veloway, and a round trip from Home to the Town Lake YMCA on the bike. By Sunday, I was ready to make the commitment. So on Father's Day, I became a proud owner of a new road bike, complete with helmet, clip shoes, tri outfit and a multitude of accessories. Martin taught me how to clip in and clip out of the bike pedals and I took my bike out to the Veloway again, this time, clipping in and out. I got a few scrapes but I did not have a single fall. Hooray!! Thanks to my new cycling coach... Martin!! I'll have to get him to teach Jenni.

So, that's what I've been up to this month! I've got a Swim Workshop in Dallas this July and I'll be counting down the days to Jack's Generic.

Open Water Swim Clinic

2010-05-31T17:00:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday, May 29th, I did not teach my usual Saturday classes to be able to attend an Open Water Swim Clinic held at Lake Pflugerville. The clinic is provided by the Lake Pflugerville Triathlon Race Committee and is meant to prepare triathletes for the open water swim. The swim is usually the part of the triathlon that most participants find troublesome - unless you're a swimmer. If you've read my post about my first traithlon experience, Lamentations and Exaltations over my First Tri, you'll know that I am one of those participants who find the open water swim the most problematic.

Since Lake Pflugerville is about a 40 minute drive away, maybe more with traffic, I figured, I'd try to kill two birds with one stone and head out to Cedar Park and visit Brushy Creek Trail where the Frankenthon Marathon will be held this coming October. Laura, my running buddy, joined me at 6:30 a.m. We completed a 6.2 mile run in an area that was totally unknown to us. The "trail" had a bit of crushed granite but a large portion was a cement path. It was a very pretty and scenic area although the bugs will have to take a little getting used to.

I got to Lake Pflugerville feeling relatively relaxed. I kept thinking about all the great swim workouts that I had over the last few weeks since my first triathlon. I was confident that I had the technique and the practice to be able to swim at a relaxed and comfortable pace. I was not gunning to finish first or anywhere near it. I just wanted to be able to finish. Unfortunately, as soon as we hit the water, my heart started to race. Coach Glenn had us do a short swim, to assess everyone's skill level. There was much kicking and hitting and an equal amount of apologies. At this point, my heart is pounding so hard, I feel like it's about to pop out of my chest.

We proceed to swim out a little further. 100 meters to the first buoy and 100 meters back. I find myself at 100 meters but I have to hang on to the buoy to rest. One of the coaches on a kayak tells me something about race rules regarding hanging on to the buoy but I don't really understand what he says. I can't hear him because my heart is pounding so hard. I just nod and say okay. I swim a little more towards the finish but I have to ask one of the coaches on a kayak if I can hang on. I complain to him that my body feels very heavy and that my arms and legs are working overtime to stay afloat. I ask him to check if my head might be in the wrong position. He tells me that my head is in the right position with the water right up to my ears. I'm either last or second to the last to make it back. The other lady that lagged behind didn't even stick her head in the water!

With barely any time to recover, we head back out for our final swim. We have a few choices this time - swim 300 meters, 400 meters, or 500 meters. I attempt the shortest of the distances. I fail miserably and have to ask one of the coaches on the kayak to help me back in. With about 50 meters to shore, I thank the coach and head back to shore on my own.

Upon reaching the shore, Coach Glenn tells me that I just need to keep swimming in open water to overcome the anxiety that I feel. He assures me that I have plenty of time before my next planned triathlon (Jack's Generic Tri) to learn how to swim and sight. I certainly hope he's right! There's another Open Swim Clinic on June 6th. I have an 11 mile long run that morning and I hope that I can make it to Lake Pflugerville in time to try the open water swim again.

No gold stars for me just yet in swimming. My focus between now and next weekend is to keep swimming. I will try to swim at Barton Springs Pool instead of at the YMCA. I know there's a lesson to be learned here, I just haven't figured it out just yet. Maybe Laura was right when she told me that I need to relieve the pressure off myself by just enjoying the swim instead of trying to be perfect at it. Wendy reminded me to "Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming." -- Dory, Disney's Finding Nemo.

National Running Day

2010-05-30T22:40:00.000-05:00

Last year, I participated in National Running Day by offering a morning run and an evening run around Lady Bird Lake. I had great group of participants join me in the morning but that afternoon, I ended up running by myself. It was HOT! Therefore, quite forgivable not to run. This year, National Running Day is on Wednesday again, June 2nd, and by the looks of it, it will be another warm day. Fortunately, it doesn't look like I need to organize a run for that day as the Austin Galloway Group is organizing a run. I'll be happily concentrating on Boot Camp that morning.

This will be the first time the Austin Galloway Group participates in National Running Day. Participants of NRD, will get a discount code when registering for the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon and Half Marathon in November. For that day, Austin Galloway has organized several different groups to run 7 miles around Lady Bird Lake. The reward after the run will be dinner at Shady Grove.

If you've never run before and want to give it a try, NRD is the best day and the best excuse to come out and give Jeff Galloway's Run-Walk-Run method a try. Come join the Austin Galloway Group and experience an easy and relaxed running atmosphere. You may just find running enjoyable!

Boot Camp is Back!

2010-05-26T17:00:00.000-05:00

After a rather long hiatus, Boot Camp at the FH Austin Office (where I work) is back. I stopped at first due to weather. We had a pretty harsh winter, by Texas standards that is, and then I decided to make 2010 the year I completed my first Triathlon. As a result, every available day had to be utilized for tri training since I was doing the tri training all on my own. I was either running or taking a spin class every Wednesday morning and could not do Boot Camp unless I cloned myself.

Roxanne and Kevin

I'm actually still training for a Triathlon and a few Marathons this year. I promised my co-workers that I would start Boot Camp once my tri was over. I never break a promise and so Boot Camp is back! We start at 7:00 a.m. now instead of 6:20 a.m. Because I'm still training for a Triathlon, I attend the Cycling/Spin Class at the Town Lake YMCA with Jessica at 6:00 a.m. I stay for 45 minutes and then head over to the office for 1 hour of Boot Camp drills. Roxanne is still the only consistent and dedicated boot camper from the office while others continue to share their regrets and promises to try "next week." Our Summer Intern, Melissa, joined us for our first boot camp. We will see if she will join us again next week. I hope other people (not necessarily from our office) can join us for real next time.

My Best Swim Workout

2010-05-21T18:00:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday, I went to a 6:00 a.m. cycling class at Town Lake YMCA. Linda was subbing the class for Jessica. I enjoy Linda's classes, her class format is very aerobic. I sweat a lot during her class and my body is less sore after the class. Jessica's classes help me focus on my body mechanics and my muscles feel it. I was still recovering from the soreness of cable wakeboarding on Sunday so I was grateful for Linda's class.

After work, I had planned to head back out to Town Lake YMCA for a swim workout. I wasn't sure I really wanted to swim. I felt mentally exhausted after a hectic day at the office. My motivation was low. But, if I was going to participate in another triathlon, I needed to continue my training, especially swimming. This would be my first swim workout since that disastrous swim last Sunday.

I got to the YMCA and I was quietly hoping that the lanes would be full so that I could turn around and go home. Well, fortunately for me, the swim fairies really wanted me to swim, because as soon as I put my swim cap on, a swimmer got out and offered the lane to me. I jumped in the pool and started warming up - freestyle. I swam 200 meters and I felt pretty good. I started swimming 25's with a 15 second rest after each lap. I completed 6 25's, then I moved on 50's with a 20 second rest after each set. I completed about 4 sets of 50's, then I moved on to 75's with a 30 second rest after each set. I completed 4 sets of 75's. By this time, a 3rd person had joined the lane and we're circle swimming instead. I decided to just swim nice and easy for as long as I could and, lo and behold, I completed 300 meters. I was so relaxed, I wasn't even gasping for breath when I exited the pool.

I couldn't believe how easy it was to swim 300 meters!! Curses!! Why couldn't I have done this during the tri last Sunday? I found out that panicking during the swim isn't all that uncommon. Alice, a co-instructor at Town Lake YMCA, told me that it took her several triathlons before she stopped panicking and hyperventilating during the swim. The swim is a little longer during Jack's Generic Triathlon, it's 500 meters and it's a co-ed tri so I expect to encounter more aggressive swimmers. I hope that I can get to that distance soon. Actually, I'm not just hoping, I'm working towards at least 600 meters by the time August 1st gets here. I'm also getting started on thinking positively about my swim instead of psyching myself into failure. Part of my key learnings from my first tri.

I've got 10 weeks until August 1st and Triathlon #2. I haven't found Triathlon #3 yet. If you have any suggestions for Tri #3, let me know.

Lamentations and Exaltations over my 1st Triathlon

2010-05-17T18:00:00.004-05:00

I did it! I completed my first ever Triathlon event. I completed my first race in 1:16:58. It's not bad for a first timer, and a first timer who was not comfortable with the swim, and a first timer who had a small bike. Skeese Greets Women's Triathlon is a small (422 finishers this year) triathlon held at Texas Ski Ranch (where we cable wakeboard). I specifically chose this race because of the distance (300 meter swim, 11 mile bike, 2 meter run) and the location (it's familiar). Yes, the water is pretty murky and disgusting but I'm used to it.

This was a well organized race. They had a lot of volunteers at the start and on the course that were extremely helpful and encouraging. The post-race festivities were awesome! Lots of food, fun music, giveaways and just overall celebration of the great effort put forth by all the athletes. "Athletes," that what the nice volunteer at the transition area called us when we were allowed back inside to gather our bikes and belongings. I got a tickle hearing that!!

People told me I would be able to finish and I did. People told me that I'd be fine, and I was! People also told me that this would not be my last and they were right! I definitely want to do another triathlon and based on my marathon training schedule, the next one that works best is Jack's Generic Triathlon on August 1st. This race is also at Texas Ski Ranch but it's a tad longer than Skeese Greets. It's a 500 meter swim, a 13.8 mile bike, and a 3 mile run.

Here's a brief accounting of all 3 events as it happened for me.
Swim: I started off nervous and anxious and despite all the verablizations and countless reassurances that received, I ended up panicking and hyperventilating during the swim. First of all, I forgot to put my goggles over my eyes so when I dove into the water I was in an instant frenzy and forgot everything I had planned on doing. I went to my second stroke, the slow back stroke but I was still unable to recover and calm down. Alhough I tried several times to go back to freestyle stroke, I just could not manage to get my breathing in control. The end was in sight, I was fifth to the last on the swim. Next time, I really need to think positively because I really felt like I psyched myself into failing during the swim. Although I wasn't dead last, I still didn't do as well as I know I could have.
Bike: I am very comfortable with my bike. I know exactly how and when to change my gears to get the maximum benefit out of it. But during the race, I definitely noticed the shortcomings of my bike. The 15 inch wheel requires me to pedal 3 times for every one that most bikes have to do. So after my first triathlon, I now want a new bike. Well, maybe not exactly a new one, just a better one. I took it slow the first 3 miles, using this time to calm down and get my breathing under control. After mile 3, I started booking it. I averaged about 15.6 miles per hour on the bike which I guess is good considering the limitations of my bike.
Run: This was almost no brainer for me. I ran at a comfortable pace. I ran a 9 min/mi pace. The first mile or so was a gradual incline which meant the part of the run had a nice downhill. Next time, I will try to run at a quicker pace and employ a run-walk interval.
Transitions: T1 is the transition from swim to bike. Since I did not actually rack my bike, a volunteer did it for me, I wasn't really sure how to get it off the rack. Duh! But getting my socks and shoes on was a breeze. The little plastic container I used to wash off my feet worked beautifully. I now understand the need to have and/or use the elastic laces - it's just one less thing to worry about. My pony tail required modification when I tried to get my helmet on. I just pulled the elastic down my hair, nevermind that it hurt! I need to start with a good position on my pony tail or go back to short hair.
T2 is the transition from bike to run. I already had my running shoes on so I didn't have to change my shoes. I just had to re-rack my bike. It took me a few seconds to figure out how to do this. Double Duh! Off with the helmet and running cap is on. I'm glad I decided to use sun glasses and a cap. It helped with the hot sun. Spibelt on, grabbed a Succeed S cap on the way out of transition and I was off.

At the finish, the volunteers handed me a water bottle and my necklace. I was told that I needed to give up my chip, I bent down to grab it and the volunteer grabbed me and told me she'll get it and that I didn't need to be bending over. Hahaha! I thought that was funny! I let her do it too! I saw people that I knew from the Town Lake YMCA - Amy and Mary Lou who take my Pilates class. I saw Kim P - who is part of the Austin Galloway Running Group. I also met 2 really nice ladies, Stella and Elizabeth, also runners, who I hung out with before the start of the race. Overall, it was a great experience and I'm excited to do it again next year with a finish goal of 1:05.

As a reward, Martin, Paolo and I stayed behind to enjoy a 4-hour session of Cable Wakeboarding. It was great but I must admit, I pooped out after a little over 3 hours. Good news, after a little over 3 hours of practice, I can comfortably practice switching from regular to goofy foot on the board. Additional foundation for our next Kiteboarding session.

Almost T-Day

2010-05-15T14:30:00.002-05:00

It's the day before the Skeese Greets Women's Triathlon and I'm scared, nervous, anxious and stressed. I totally feel like I'm way in over my head!! Of course people tell me that I'll be fine and I'll do well but I have serious doubts about the truth of those reassuing words. When I break it down in my head, it's not the 3 sports that bother me. It's the 300 meter swim that is causing all the agitation in my head. I'm afraid that I will either hit someone or vice versa. This is my first Triathlon and it may be my last. Sometimes I think I set such lofty goals for myself that failure is inevitable.

Unfortunately, no amount of words or mental analysis will help calm my irrational fears. I must plan and prepare. It will keep me focused and composed to anticipate what I might need during the race.

Things I'm bringing in my backpack:

1. Goggles

2. Swim Cap

3. Bike

4. Helmet

5. Running Shoes

6. Socks

7. 3 Bottles of Water
8. Hat
9. Race belt
10. Lubricant
11. Sunscreen
13. Extra Shirt
14. 4 Wipes
15. Plastic container (to wash my feet)
16. 2 towels
17. Sun glasses
18. Energy beans
19. Electrolyte caps

I swam for an hour yesterday, analyzing where my form started to break down. I noticed that when my mind started to wander, I would go back to my old habits. The key for my swim will be to zero in on the skills that I've learned over the last few months. These are the reminders of what I need to do instead of what I shouldn't do. By keeping my reminders positive, I will follow them and remember them better.

wide track arms
pierce the water
use the core and hip to help drive my body forward
one shoulder just enough out of the water
turn to the shoulder to breathe

I hope that this will be enough to get me through my first Triathlon. I wonder if my training has been sufficient or even close to passable. I will find out tomorrow!

My Mother's Day Gift

2010-05-11T18:00:00.001-05:00

I received my Mother's Day gift a week early. Why? Well, we were scheduled to go Kiteboarding during Mother's Day weekend and I know that my family can't really keep stuff from me. So rather than take the chance of my accidentally discovering the "gift," my family presented it to me a week early.

It's 3 pictures of me, progressively running along a rocky incline at the Greenbelt near our house. This picture frame proudly hangs in my office at work. Martin and I went to the Greenbelt one Sunday morning and he had me running up and down different paths while he took photos with his camera set on a tripod. I saw the raw photos that Martin took but I don't recall seeing them post-production except for maybe the last picture in this series. I didn't expect him to print the pictures and mount them like this. I was pleasantly surprised.

This gift, for me, is a symbol of my family acknowledging my passion to be physically active. They are telling me that they recognize that this is what I enjoy doing and will love and support me. By immortalizing me in a photograph that depicts movement, I've been validated - that being physically active is a part of who I am. My son Paolo, who got to spend the weekend of Mother's Day with us Kiteboarding, acknowledged that he appreciates having an active and adventurous mother. My son Marco, sent me a text message to greet me a Happy Mother's Day and a standing invitation to go rock wall climbing when he's back home.

I know that I have a lot of relatives and friends who wonder where all this physicality is coming from and some who actually dare to ask me when I became so athletically minded. My answer: It's always been inside of me, suppressed and repressed for one reason or another. It's out now! I'm a much better person because of it. You can even ask my family.

Kiteboarding Vacation

2010-05-10T23:04:00.000-05:00

We had orignially planned to go Kiteboarding the first weekend in May but ended up delaying it for the following weekend - Mother's Day weekend. Turns out, it was the perfect time to go and it was one of the best Mother's Day weekends I've ever had. I honestly thought I'd be motivated to post the events of each day on my blog but I was way too distracted. I spent the time I was away from kiteboading by day dreaming and fantasizing about riding with the kite. I get a little obsessive sometimes...

Day 1:
Wind conditions were perfect and we spend the first day mastering body dragging using power strokes using a 10 meter Slingshot Key HD kite. We also try getting up on the board and find success. After 3.5 hours, we reluctantly cut our time short to meet up with Martin's cousin Nelia and Pancho and their kids who live in Corpus Christi.

Day 2:
The wind is a lot stronger, clouds are a little thick but soon burn away. Conditions remain perfect for kiteboarding. We move to a 7 meter Slingshot Key HD kite. I love this kite because I control it a lot better than the 10 meter. I don't find myself being picked up out of the water by the kite. I have a few more successful attempts at getting up and when I actually get to ride for the first time, I scream at the top of my lungs and everyone hears it! I get to try and ride a few more times and manage to successfully ride again and even make an attempt going in the reverse direction. After my last crash, I start seeing yellow streaks in the water, in the sky and I think I'm toast. It's 5.5 hours later and I'm tired but ecstatic.

Day 3:
I wake up to find that my eyes and lips are swollen and I have a terrible rash all over my body. Sun poisoning! This isn't the first time I've experienced this so the symptoms I'm seeing aren't too shocking. Sadly, kiteboading is out of the question to avoid aggravating my symptoms. Next time, I'll have to wear a fisherman's hat that ties under my chin to add a little more sun protection so that I won't end up cutting our adventure short.

Day 4:
Heading home to Austin. I find myself re-living the last few days and I can't help but smile. It hurts to smile because my skin is still badly burnt. I check my face in the mirror and wonder what a dermatologist would say about how badly I've damaged my skin. I wish there was a pill I could take to help my skin heal a lot faster so that I could go back out and go kiteobarding again.

I'm still training for a triathlon and at least 4 marathon races this season and now I have to include kiteboarding and wakeboarding as part of my schedule. I'll have to be obsessive to get through it all. 2010 is really going to be a great year.

Do I Dare Try to Qualify?

2010-05-04T19:00:00.001-05:00

This is Red

Red, aka Alicia Sankar, aka http://www.canttakethejerseyoutofthegirl.blogspot.com/ is one of those people that I admire in a sort of school-age-hero-worship way in the world of running. Red is your typical busy, working mom of 2 active and adorable kids and is also a FAST runner. She usually places in the top 10 or even top 5 in her age division in races. She's built like a perfect runner too - long, tall, and lean. I know I can never be like her when I grow up but like a "little sister" (note: little sister only in size), I aspire to achieve and accomplish similar things as a runner.

Most recently, Red completed the 114th running of the Boston Marathon 2010 in 3:37:22. Her time qualified her to run it again next year! Check out her blog to get a play-by-play of the events of that awesome day. Her story was so inspirational that I started dreaming that one day, I too, would dedicate months and months of hard work and speed training so that I might be able to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Maybe I'll be able to run it when I turn 50!!! It would be a pretty awesome birthday gift to myself even if the Boston Marathon is about 4 weeks after my birthday. Not to mislead anyone though, I'm not going to be 50 years old in the next couple of years. I was simply giving myself some time to digest the idea of possibly getting into Boston one day.

Shortly after the Boston Marathon, I received Jeff Galloway's e-newsletter where he promotes his new book "How to Qualify for Boston." If you've read any of my previous posts on running, you'll know that I run and train with the Galloway team here in Austin. I am a firm believer in Jeff Galloway's method of run/walk/run as a way to run injury free forever. This is one of the primary reasons why I joined the Galloway team, because I was suffering from IT band pain whenever I ran past 10 miles. So Jeff's little teaser in his newletter got me intrigued. Actually, "intrigued" would be totally inaccurate. To me, it felt like the stars in the cosmos were being aligned by God's hand so that He could show me and point me in the direction of pursuing my dream to qualify and run the Boston Marathon.

Being a mere human, and a stubborn one at that, I didn't try to buy Jeff's book right away. I asked our Galloway Austin Coach, Will Carlson, if Jeff was bringing a copy of the book that I could peruse at Sunday's Fall Marathon Kick Off Meeting or at the Running School. Will, of course, generously offered to bring his book in case Jeff did not have them. Of course there were copies of the book and of course I bought one which was dedicated to me and autographed and by Jeff Galloway himself. Nice!

So, does this mean that I'm daring to try and qualify for the Boston Marathon this running season? ABSOLUTELY. During the Running School, Jeff talked about all the aspects that would be required to become a better runner and to achieve the qualifying time to run Boston. He touched on training to build endurance and speed; eating before, during, and after a run; motivation and building mental toughness; cross training and strenghthening. Jeff also cited lots of examples and success stories of other runners, not just his own running stories. I was most impressed when Jeff declared that he has been running for 51 years and a great majority of them without any injury.

Red had been battling with a foot injury early in her training for Boston and sufferred a completely different foot injury during the race. This is the part of rigorous training that I want to avoid at all costs. For me, any injury means I need to throw in the towel. An injury would not only put a damper on my running, it would affect all the fitness classes I teach, the fun things I enjoy like wakeboarding and kiteboarding and I simply cannot afford to be injured. This is why I'm sticking to the program Jeff has outlined in his book.

I've identified at least 5 Marathon Distance Races between October 2010 until February 2011 that I would like to run in pursuit of qualifying for Boston. I began my first Boston Qualifying work out on Tuesday, May 4th. I'm still doing Triathlon training and don't see any interference doing both simultaneously. If anything, the programs are quite complimentary.

I know that between now and first race in October, I will be wracked with doubt and uncertainty. But I also know that there will be days where I will find myself improving and find a renewed motivation to continue. It will certainly be an interesting journey.

Hybrid Swimming

2010-04-30T18:00:00.001-05:00

I discovered Total Immersion Swimming several weeks ago when my frustration with my swimming skills had overwhelmed me, Immersing Myself in the Swim of Things. Naturally, when the DVD arrived, I started practicing the drills and employing the principles that were being taught on the video. As good as I am learning from most exercise videos, I don't think I do so well on sports instructional DVD's. Case in point: we have DVD's on golf, wakeboarding and kiteboarding and none of the information I've seen on those videos have sucessfully imprinted on my brain. So how successful I will be with the Easy Freestyle DVD remains to be seen.

I've been able to successfully master the drills up to Lesson 3. There are a total of 8 Lessons on the DVD and the triathlon is less than 3 weeks from now. Needless to say, I won't be able to master any more techniques from Total Immersion before my race. My last swim class with TriZones ended on Monday, April 26th. It was a very successful end because I was able to complete all the drills without falling back to my second stroke to catch a breath. I was tired by not exhausted which means I was able to control my legs and my breathing. Even Coach Jen noted that I had become a "speedy swimmer!"

My secret? It's what I call Hybrid Swimming. I've taken parts from Total Immersion and Traditional Swimming taught to me by Tri Zones and put it together to get me up and down the pool and swimming non stop. Both techniques have many similar principles such as:

Head position

Tri Zones teaches to put my face and hairline in the water.
Total Immersion teaches to visualize a laser line from the top of the head into the water.

Leg kicks

Tri Zones teaches to imagine kicking in a cylinder.
Total Immersion teaches to flutter kick and then later a 2 beat kick.

Arm position

Tri Zones teaches to maintain high elbows during stroke recovery.
Total Immersions teaches to swing the arm leading with the elbow with relaxed hand and forearm.

Here's where one technique seemed to click in my head and not the other.

Rotation in the shoulder and hips

For weeks, Tri Zones tried to teach me not to swim "flat." I tried to include a shoulder and hip rotation at each stroke but for some reason, I could not consistently implement it during my practice swims.
Lesson 1 of Total Immersion had me work on Core Balance in the water. With flutter kicks, one shoulder was slightly out of the water at about a 45 degree angle.
Result: I swim each stroke with the rotation in the hips and shoulders because I practice Core Balance throughout my swim. I can also tell when I've neglected to follow this because I struggle to move forward in the water. I breathe easier with the core balance and feel less threatened with my head immersed in the water.

Forearm as a paddle

Lesson 3 of Total Immersion teaches the SpearSwitch. The body swims into the hole created by the hand spearing into the water. I am still working on these drills and have not been able to consistently perform them.
Tri Zones had us do the "fist drill" during Lesson 3 of Session 2. With the hand in a fist, the forearm now becomes an integral part of the paddle to move forward in the water.
Result: With my arm still in the water, my elbow bends at each stroke instead of wasting energy pushing the water downward. My arm is able to line up in my inside pocket to complete the stroke with a high elbow at recovery. I move forward in the water with relative ease.

There is much more that I need to learn to become a good swimmer. I hope to finish all 8 Lessons of the Easy Freestyle DVD by the end of June and assess whether a TI Freestyle Workshop would further my skills. The 2-day workshop is not a cheap investment both in time and money and I would like to get my money's worth when I do decide to attend it.

If you struggle with swimming, you might want to consider the TI Workshop in Dallas this coming July 10-11, 2010 and be my swimming buddy. For now, my hybrid swimming should get me through my first triathlon. I just need to keep practicing and work on building my endurance.

The Week I Went Insane

2010-04-28T17:00:00.002-05:00

From April 16-24, 2010 I think I was in a state of insanity. Actually, I was probably insane the week before that because I agreed to this whacked out schedule (see below). I didn't fully experience the consequences of that madness until April 16th though. When I woke up that morning, I wondered to myself why I had made all the commitments that I did in the middle of my triathlon training. I had also started experiencing cold symptoms and found sleep more elusive than usual during this time. I was desperate to keep my illness at bay and not get worse as I tested what I was truly made of.

Here's how my week went:

**Note, this is on top of full time work, homemaker duties which include laundry, cooking, cleaning up, etc.

Friday, April 16, 6:00 a.m. Weight & Cardio class
Friday, April 16, 12:00 nn Pilates class
Saturday, April 17, 7:30 a.m. Bike ride to the YMCA
Saturday, April 17, 8:00 a.m. Pilates class
Saturday, April 17, 9:00 a.m. Cardio & Toning class (1.5 hrs)
Saturday, April 17, 12:00 nn. Household chores
Saturday, April 17, 1:45 p.m. Swimming drills
Sunday, April 18, 9:00 a.m. 5 mile run
Sunday, April 18, 10:00 a.m. 12 mile bike ride
Monday, April 19, 6:00 a.m. Weight & Cardio class
Monday, April 19, 7:00 p.m. Swimming class
Tuesday, April 20, 6:45 a.m. Pilates class
Tuesday, April 20, 6:30 p.m. Pilates class
Wednesday, April 21, 6:00 a.m. Weight & Cardio class
Wednesday, April 21, 6:00 p.m. Swimming drills
Thursday, April 22, 5: 30 a.m. 4 mile run
Thursday, April 22, 6:30 p.m. Pilates class
Friday, April 23, 6:00 a.m. Weight & Cardio class
Friday, April 23, 12:00 nn Pilates Class
Friday, April 23, 5:30 p.m. Weight & Cardio class
Saturday, April 24, 7:30 a.m. Bike ride to the YMCA
Saturday, April 24, 8:00 a.m. Pilates class
Saturday, April 24, 9:00 a.m. Cardio & Toning class (1.5 hrs)

I survived it, obviously! I took a 4 hour nap Saturday afternoon and felt like I made up for the 3 & 4 hours of sleep the past week. So I ask myself, "How did I do that?" With every waking moment full of stuff I've laid out for myself to do, I rarely get a chance to rehash the choices I've made and find key learnings. Keeping a blog is a step in the right direction.

Key Learnings:

Stay focused. I kept my mind on what I needed to do at the moment. By focusing on what I had to do at that given time, I was less stressed about what was ahead of me.
Enjoy. I enjoy physical activity a whole lot. The activities before me were all very pleasurable and therefore I was never engaged in anything that I had to drag my heels to get me up and moving.
Stay positive. Instead of berating myself for painting myself into this seemingly impossible corner, I viewed it as a challenge similar to marathon or triathlon training. I was my own cheerleeder and each day my cheering got louder.
Learn from others. Sometimes I solicit advice yet do nothing about what people share with me. This time, I listened and learned. Eve L. advised that I take Zinc supplements to help shorten the life of my cold symptoms. I diligently followed her advice and found myself quite recovered by Friday.

I am now a Zinc believer and will be a champion spokesperson for this wonder-mineral.

The Brick Workout

2010-04-27T18:00:00.010-05:00

The Brick? Who's that? What's that? Actually, that's what I call myself when I'm in the water. Hahaha! (Although I'm getting much better at it!) On my MapMyRun iPhone app, there's an option to save a workout as a BRICK. I never really understood what that was until I started training for a Traithlon.
Here's a definition of a Brick Workout according to Ezine Articles:

A brick workout is when you do one workout immediately after another. For example, you could do a swim followed by a bike or a bike followed by a run. There is no special way you have to do a brick workout. However, the most effective brick workout is one that most resembles the race you will run. So more than likely you are better served doing a swim to bike or a bike to run brick workout for triathlon prep.

A brick workout is a great way to simulate segments of an actual traithlon race. Doing a few brick workouts before a triahtlon allows your body to get acclimated to the transition from swimming to biking or from biking to running. I've done a few brick workouts but not necessarily in the order of a triathlon race. Once, I swam for 50 minutes then ran a 5k. A couple of weekends ago I ran 5 miles then biked 12 miles. Unfortunately, none of this was race pace but it was still quite challenging.

Active.com has a recommended brick workout schedule. I don't recommend doing it if you've never tried a back-to-back workout before, however, it is certainly something to work up to. Brick workouts should not be limited to people who are training for triathlons because they employ lots of different muscles that a single sport might neglect. I guess it's a lot like cross training but with a little more intensity. For example; the cardiovascular endurance that a runner develops is very different from that of a swimmer. Most runners find themselves gasping for breath after a few laps in the pool. Cycling utilizes the hamstrings with much more intensity than when running. Picking up your legs to run after being on the bike requires a bit more energy than most people think.

One word of caution that I've read in a lot of triathlon training guides. If you're going to do a brick workout - don't overdo it! The time spent on a brick workout should be based on the distance of your race. So, if you're not training for a race, keep those brick workouts short. No need to risk an injury.

I hope to get a true brick workout complete before my triathlon on May 16.

The Best Runners Have Skinny Legs

2010-04-19T19:00:00.001-05:00

A Moment of Science:
Skinny Legs And All

The peeps at A Moment of Science have confirmed what I've suspected all this time - leg shape is the key to speed in running! Got skinny legs? You'll make for a better runner than someone with thicker legs. Just look at horses, deer and gazelles! In my almost 8 years of running, at some point I convinced myself that my muscular legs were good for running because I could tackle any kind of terrain - just like a four-wheel-drive monster truck. Sure enough, I can definitely tackle unfriendly terrain with my strong quads and calves but I wasn't fast or nimble on my feet. Skinny Legs beat Muscular Legs all day every day, but Long, Skinny Legs is just hands down what every runner wishes they had.

No worries! This confirmation will not dampen my spirits or make me give up running. Like my podiatrist said when I asked him how I could fix my plantar fasciitis, he said quite thoughtfully... "You could stop running," and then he smiled and said, "Yeah, ain't gonna happen!" So the reality is I'll never be a super fast runner and I may never be fast enough to qualify to run the Boston Marathon but there are still a lot of great races out there to be run. Just because my legs are short and muscular doesn't mean that I can't improve my speed either. There's always room for improvement and running is a wonderful sport where self-discovery and self-improvement is par for the course. My running goal this year is to work on my speed and I hope to tackle the mechanics of that when I attend Jeff Galloway's Running School here in Austin on May 2nd.

If you enjoy running and share physical attributes similar to mine - short but well proportioned legs - here are a few optimistic ways to look at what you've been blessed with:

Since your lower body is pretty darn gifted, you can focus your attention on that upper body when you're at the gym with those weights and machines.
As you get closer to the finish line, take a look at all the skinny-legged people you're passing! You're defying mother nature!
If a skinny-legged person passes you during the race, it's only natural. Nothing to fret about. That person probably worked pretty hard to pass you in the first place.
Running isn't just about speed, it's also about endurance. Your legs are made for endurance sports - why not try ultra running? trail running? hiking? The possibilities are endless.
The person with straight hair wishes for curly hair. Short people wish they were tall. We have all been gifted - we just need to figure out how to appreciate our gifts.

Immersing Myself in the Swim of Things

2010-04-17T20:38:00.002-05:00

Frustrated with myself and my swimming skills, I turned on-line in the hopes that I would find some quick tips and tricks that I could learn on my own, or find people with the same issues that I'm having, desperate to find some instant answers. However, instead of doing a google search, I decided I'd peruse Active.com. This is the site that handles a lot of training programs and race registrations that I participate in. It's also a great location to find articles on everything a person needs or wants to do to stay active. They cover everything from endurance sports to team sports, outdoor sports like fishing and hunting or club sports like golf and tennis. It's one of my favorite websites.

In my search, I discovered a swimming program called Total Immersion Swimming, a relaxed swimming technique taught by Terry Laughlin. His principles of reducing drag or friction in the water to help conserve energy and sustain the swim for much longer makes complete sense. I checked locally but couldn't find a coach or training program that teaches this technique in Austin. The closest workshop that I could potentially attend would be in Dallas. That would require a lot of planning and re-arranging schedules. So for now, that option is not viable. Tim Ferris, author of the bestseller "The Four Hour Work Week," raves about the Total Immersion Swimming technique on his blogpost: "How I Learned to Swim Effortlessly in 10 days and You Can Too." Persuaded by the blogpost, I bought the Easy Freestyle DVD Tim used and recommended. I got it on ebay and hope to get it in a few days. If I can swim effortllessly in 10 or more days, I will be extremely ecstatic!

While on the Total Immersion website, I watched Terry Laughlin's presentation at Multisport World Conference and Expo in 2009. The 6-part video available on the TI Swim's channel on YouTube is pretty long but it's very informative. I highly recommend viewing it from beginning to end - whether you're looking to help improve your swimming skills or just curious to find out what all the fuss is about - you'll find that the TI method is both practical and sound especially for those of us who were gifted with a talent different from Michael Phelps. Terry explains the logic behind his technique and shows you how to achieve it. As in everything, practice is key to imprinting these new skills. I watched it, scribbled a few notes and went to our small condo pool. I tried to remember some of the techniques, such as keeping the arm below the head, keeping the hand relaxed, minimizing the kicks, but most of all I focused on keeping my body relaxed. Instead of attacking the water, I tried to glide through it. I definitely felt the relaxation but I'm not sure if it will translate right away when I get into the pool at the Y. I doubt my 45 minutes in our pool imprinted much of anything. I did learn to become more relaxed in the water. The sense of panic that I often feel as I slowly sink towards the bottom was under control. It could also have come from knowing that I was swimming along the side that was 4 feet deep so there was no reason to panic. Hahaha!

So my swimming saga continues... I think I've found the right methodology to employ - Total Immersion. I've realized that I cannot force myself to adapt to the conventional swimming styles and techniques that the coaches at Tri Zones have been teaching me because after 8 weeks of trying, it looks like I've hit my wall and I need to find a way around it or through it. I am very grateful for the Tri Zones coaches because they've got me swimming much further than I could last year. I have 2 more lessons to go then I'll be off on my own.

Total Immersion has a link to some free booklets. I downloaded Easy Freestyle and Happy Laps. I think I'll be back in the pool at our condo again today to practice, practice, practice. Who knows? Maybe Tim Ferris was right, maybe I can learn this in 10 days! Wish me luck!

Get it together, lose it, get it back together

2010-04-14T20:00:00.000-05:00

I don't have a whole lot of time left before the Skeese Greets Women's Tri is here - 33 days and counting! Four of the those 33 days will be on vacation learning Kiteboarding so I hope to squeeze at least a couple of workouts in between. After Monday's swimming class #2 of Session 2, I find myself in serious trouble. I'm frustrated at myself and my lack of progress in my swimming skills. My performance during the drills during the class felt like "hell." There were moments when I felt like I was getting the rotation in my hips and my high elbows just right but I felt completely out of breath and my legs were starting to feel tight. When I'd get my legs in control, I'd start to snake around in the water instead of staying in a straight line. Nothing seemed to click at the same time. Result = Frustration

After class, I needed some cheering up and watched Run Fatboy Run on DVD. The story is about a man who decides to run a Marathon which is only 3 weeks away (very Hollywood) to prove that he is not a quitter and that he no longer runs away from his problems. In the movie, they talked about what it takes to be a distance runner; the hours of training, the discipline and focus, the determination and heart during the race. Dennis, the main character of the movie, was devoid of all these qualities. Yet in 3 weeks, prodded by his best friend and landlord, Dennis discovered and learned that he did in fact possess them. One of the best scenes in the movie was when Dennis hit his "brick wall" at mile 17 (they actually said he had 9 miles left to the finish line). One of the bricks loosens and he sees himself on the otherside encouraging him to get through. He then imagines himself plowing through the wall and hears the bricks slowly fall down. Dennis then realizes that the wall is now down and he gives it his all to make it to the finish line.

The movie was quite entertaining and it made me forget about my frustrations for a little while. Unfortunately, it also made me wish completing an endurance sport really was that simple. Throughout the movie, Dennis was nonchalant about the task before him, never once verbalizing doubt or apprehension about the daunting task he commited himself to. I need to find a way to be a little more nonchalant and relaxed while in the pool. Right now, I think I am way too tense and I'm working harder than I should.

One of my FB friends and a Pilates believer posted on her status... I think this is going to be my attitude at the next practice time in the pool.

The Pilates Magic Circle

2010-04-13T19:00:00.000-05:00

When I teach my evening Pilates classes at the TownLake YMCA (on Tuesday and Thursday), I use the Pilates Magic Circle or Pilates Ring. I don't get the same opportunity on other days because I either have back-to-back classes or I'm on my lunch break at work and need to get in and out quickly.

The use of the circle or ring offers an additional challenge to both beginners and more advanced pilates practitioners. These circles/rings also come in varying degrees of resistance and weight. Obviously, the circles/rings that are heavier and have firmer resistance, provide the highest possible challenge to a user and is only recommended for use by someone who is used to using this prop or has been practicing Pilates for a while. I usually offer the lightest and softest resistant circle/ring to students who have never been to my class before. Using a circle that is too heavy or has too much resistance before you're even ready for it can lead to frustration. But keep in mind that if you are more advanced in Pilates and end up using a lighter circle, you can still get a very effective workout. Please do not try to crush or smash the circle/ring. That is not what this prop is for. It is to help you stay connected to your core regardless of what your arms and legs might be doing.

A comment that I hear from some of my class participants who may find themselves without a circle/ring, find that they feel their core works a lot harder without a circle/ring. This is usually because with the prop in hand, the focus becomes the muscles closest to the object instead of including the core in all the movements. The circle/ring can help you workout your arms and legs with just a little bit of your core or a lot of your core.

If you want to find out if your keep your core engaged while using the circle/ring, give this simple exercise a try.

Lie on you back with the legs in the air holding the circle between the legs, below the calves. (Keep your head on the ground and arms relaxed similar to the woman in white above.)

Squeeze the circle as fast as possible for 1 minute. If your legs begin to fatigue after 20-30 seconds then you are using leg muscles to perform the movement without support from the core. If the core is properly engaged while performing this exercise, the legs usually begin to feel tired after 50-55 seconds.

I've put together a collection of images of Pilates Magic Circles that I've used and are available on the market right now. I definitely recommend getting a circle/ring that has pads both on the inside and outside. A reputable on-line seller of fitness equipment is Power Systems. For more on buying Pilates equipment, check out About.com. This site has links to lots of other information about using the circles/rings in your next workout.

I-am-a-super-strong-swimmer

2010-04-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

Session 2 of the Tri Zone Training Swimming Classes started last Monday, April 4th. Coach Jennifer Reinhart was not there for our first day but Coach Jenna and Coach Jenni were very able and capable substitutes.

This group had new faces that were not in the previous session and almost all were there to improve their swimming skills and to be able to complete a planned triathlon race in the next few months or weeks. We did the round robin with the compulsory introductions and I shared with my fellow students that I was in the previous swim class and found myself making great improvements since my first day. I hoped that my comments helped with the first day jitters that I certainly felt when I first came 7 weeks ago.

So 7 weeks later, I can comfortably swim 50 meters without too much of an effort. At 75 meters, I have to focus and check to make sure that I'm breathing toward my shoulder and maintaining efficient leg kicks so I don't tire my legs out. At 100 meters, I'm working on all the above plus my stroke - arm reach, high elbow, body and hip rotation. It's a lot to think about, but like Pilates, Step Classes, Kickboxing, Dancing, and many other things that require that mind-body connection, practice has helped. I've been doing all these mind-body tasks for so many years that it has become second nature to me now. Eventually, swimming should be the same, right?

Towards the end of class, we were instructed to complete drills for 200 meters. The Finger Tip Drag up and a Swim Back. This is 8 laps. To aid us in our drill, Coach Jenna had us say to ourselves, while we swam back "I-AM-A-STRONG-SWIMMER." The words help with swim cadence. The way Coach Jenna explained it, the swimmer's pace slows down but the strokes are much stronger so the swimmer will actually end up swimming faster. The Type A person that I am though... I could only take one breath and that was after I-AM-A. I would not breathe afterwards until I got back to A. So I to ask her to give me 6 words so that I could still take a breath on either side. She added SUPER. So now I swim with this chant in my head: "I-AM-A SUPER-STRONG-SWIMMER."

I enjoy lap swimming in the pool now. I used to watch the clock so closely that time just seemed to stand still. Nowadays, I'm in the pool about 55-65 minutes during practice days. Do I still sink? You bet I do! I am still as buoyant as a brick!!! The swimming lessons that I've been taking has led me to an understanding that my form will have an effect on my buoyancy. This knowledge has definitely helped me stay afloat. It's great to be able to tell that I'm making progress.

There still remains the question why I continue to find myself slowly sinking in the water as I get tired. Maybe it's still just my stroke or maybe it's not something that has a solution. I guess it's a good thing that Iron Man Triathlons are also held in sea water where I know I am more buoyant than in fresh water.

The 2010 Running Season without NYC

2010-04-07T17:00:00.001-05:00

Today, April 7th, the the winners of the ING NYC Marathon lottery were announced. No, there was no broadcast on TV or Radio or over the PA system. There wasn't even an email. Aspiring runners simply login to the website to find out their status. Alas, my application was not accepted. I knew entry into the race was a lot like gambling and I have little affinity for that pasttime. This is my second rejection and I think that if I get one more rejection that I automatically get in on the 4th attempt. That's something to look forward to in 2012. Everything happens for a reason. Every action has a reaction. Always remember that what's meant to be will always find a way to come about. I have to resort to something philosophical to help keep me positive. Rejection is not easy.

So the planner that I am, I made sure that I had a back-up plan. Plan B was to run the Philadelphia Marathon on November 21, 2010. It's two weeks after the NYC Marathon and the weekend before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday so it's great that I still get to enjoy stuffing myself silly with turkey and cranberry sauce because I'll be in recovery mode. The race registration fee is much cheaper than the NYC Marathon but that's like comparing apples to oranges. I've never been to Philadelphia or the school where my son Marco attends, Drexel University. It'll be a triple purpose trip, to visit Marco, the city of brotherly love, and run a marathon.

I'm also signed up to kick off the Galloway Austin Fall Marathon Training Program with the Scholtzky's Bun Run on May 2nd. Jeff Galloway will be at the race and at the kick-off meeting and will spend 5 hours of his time and expertise with runners like me in a Running School.

Here's a list of things he'll be covering and right off the top, there are at least 5 topics I'm very interested in.

* How to improve time

* Individualized format--ask any question in any area
* How to avoid hitting the wall
* Specific training programs for specific goals
* Specific recommendations on water intake, eating
* Dealing with heat/cold/wind
* Absolving you of guilt for not stretching
* Strength for running
* Motivation techniques to get you out the door
* Mental toughness techniques to keep going
* Running drills for easier, more efficient, faster runs
* How to improve endurance without pain/ over-fatigue
* When to replace shoes
* It's good to drink coffee

With all this coming up, who has time to sit and sulk about not being accepted into the NYC Marathon? I moved on 3 minutes after I checked my status the second time, or was it the third time? HAHAHA! It's going to be a great running season!

Swim Class Finals

2010-03-30T18:00:00.005-05:00

It was the last lesson for this swim session and I was expecting the usual drills at our final swim class. We started off with a warm-up swim of 200 meters. I had just finished 150 when we were told to stop and we quickly moved on to do 2 sets of drills of 200 meters at a time. Needless to say, I was getting a little pooped at this point. As soon as that was over, our coaches (we had 3 of them present - ALARM! ALARM!) told us that we were going to do Time Trials. First thought that came to my mind was (Oh Crap!) that we were racing against time - well, not quite. We were going to be timed, hence the clip board wielding coaches. Two swimmers occupied one lane and swam up and down eight times while the rest did their drills and waited their turn.

To say that I sucked at my first Time Trials would be a pretty accurate statement. I could not swim in a straight line and had to go to my second stroke, the back stroke, a lot! But I completed it and I just kept saying to myself that was all that mattered. I was here to learn and I learned that I was still pretty terrible at this sport.

After the Time Trials, we proceeded with more drills while the other swimmers in our group did their time trials. I ranked 5th out of the 6 people in our group with a 1:30 average for 50 meters. The next task was intervals... I was a little excited since I run on intervals. Intervals in swimming is more about learning how to keep a steady pace with a short rest period (20 seconds in our case) and have enough energy to go the distance - much like distance running. Our task was to swim 3 sets of 50 meters at our interval time. Mine was 1:50 (1:30 + :20 rest). Surprisingly, I finished each set with loads of time to spare which meant a nice rest in between each set. It felt awesome and class ended on a very high note!

This is the essence of my triathlon training. I am filled with constant highs and lows. I am continually questioning myself and the amount of time and effort that I put into my training. "Is it enough?" I know that if I had signed up with a training group, I wouldn't doubt myself because I would simply follow a tried and trusted formula outlined by the Coaches and Group Leaders. But I cannot continue this mental ass whipping as invariably, it will be my undoing and I might quit. No way! I must stay on the path of Swim 3x a week, Spin Class/Bike 2-3x a week, Run 2-3x a week. Get some rest somewhere and try to put it all together some time next month. If you've ever trained for a Triathlon, I'd love to hear from you. I'm sure my emotional rollercoaster ride is not unique. What I need now is a strategy or plan to wrangle the negative so that it does not eat through my confidence.

I'm signed up for 4 more weeks of swimming which starts next Monday. I can only get better from here. I am a much better swimmer now than I was 6 weeks ago, big thanks to Coach Jennifer Reinhart of TriZones Training! Like all great coaches, she has a pool full of patience and undestanding and constant tips and reminders that make learning this sport a pleasure. I hope that when I decide to fulfill my desire to complete an Iron Man Triathlon, I will be able to train with these fabulous group of women.

Vanity Fat

2010-03-25T18:00:00.002-05:00

On one of my short drives into work, the 101x's Morning Show with Jason & Deb had the plastic surgeons from Restora Austin as guests to take questions from listeners. A female caller who had recently lost 75 lbs. was asking about how best to make her new body more attractive especially since she had parts she wasn't too happy with since the weight loss. The surgeons of course encouraged her to come to the clinic for a consult since it would be difficult to give advice without actually seeing the problem. But the topic of discussion led the guests to talk about a new, non-invasive, surgery to help get rid of body fat called Zerona.

Normally, I would have changed the station to listen to some music but my interest was piqued when Deb asked if she would be a good candidate and was told that she would!! From the photos I've seen of Deb, she is a pretty fit person. (See photo here that I pulled from the 101x website) She works out regularly and eats healthy - in fact I think she's a vegan or a vegetarian. But anyway, I understand the desire to figure out a way to get rid of vanity fat. Vanity Fat is what I call the fat deposits all over your body that most people don't see especially when you've got your clothes on. But Vanity Fat is there and reminds you of it's existence everytime you put on a bathing suit, or strip down to your underwear in the comfort of your bathroom at home. You also know that if anyone is every (un)fortunate enough to see you in a skimpy suit, they will realize that you're not as slim as you look with regular clothes. If this new technology can actually reduce the amount of Vanity Fat that I have, I might just start saving for it now. If you want to hear the podcast on 101x, click here and look for Restora Austin March 24, 2010 8:24 AM.

Of course, I did some initial research and found that this procedure was only recently approved and introduced into the market in April 2008. There's not a whole lot of "real-life" data to back up it's claims to get rid of body fat and tone up the skin. In fact, out of the 24 people who gave their review of Zerona on RealSelf.com, only 25% thought it was worth it. So my initial research isn't really helping to convince me about this new technology just yet. My other question of course is, how much? Liposuction will set you back a pretty penny and it requires time to heal, I don't have any spare change lying around to invest in it nor do I have any spare time to just lie around and heal. Zerona, appears to cost about 50% less or $2,500-$3,000 and it's a series of simple clinic visits over the course of a few weeks - which means no down time. On the idea of weighing Zerona vs. Liposuction, I'd say Zerona wins hands down! But the investment is still pretty hefty and if it didn't work, I would definitely regret having spent all that money for nothing.

If I start saving $100 a month now, by the time I have enough money to pay for the procedure, maybe there will be enough results to allow me to make an educated decision about making the investment or not. Maybe this technology would have also improved and increased the chances of success. The current 25% success rate is just not a worthy investment. Maybe, by the time I've saved $3,000 I would have found something else more worthy to spend it on than my vanity fat.

Giving it a Tri

2010-03-23T18:00:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, I attended a free seminar hosted by Tri Zones Training at Jack & Adam's Bicycles called You Can Tri. It was an orientation about what to expect at a Triathlon, the benefits, a suggested training plan and what it takes to get started and of course what it takes to be able to confidently complete a 3 sport race.

As a total beginner in this sport, I'm not looking to win or even finish at a certain time, although the competitor in me does have a time goal - it's by no means any kind of a stretch for my age, skill level or anything like that. I really just want to finish the race without encountering any near death experiences and have something that would pass as a smile on my face when I cross the finish line.

The seminar had the potential of being completely intimidating because the conversation around how to fit a 3-sport training schedule into our already busy schedules would have sent most normal people back to their cars. Basically, the aspiring triathlete must train everyday and sometimes twice a day with one required day rest. Of course there's still a matter of normal, daily obligations like job or jobs, family, friends, and of course sleep. I knew it would take a lot of my time and energy to be able to fit all of this into my schedule but it really hit home when Coach Cindy laid it all out.

Here's a few things of what I didn't know:

One must to be able to swim 30-45 minutes straight to complete a sprint distance triathlon
Compete at least 2 open water practice swims before the race - try attending an Open Water Swim Clinic for safety reasons.
Practice transitions T1 & T2 several times to figure out what you will need on race day.
Do not do a practice triathlon a week or two before the race.
Get your bike checked and fitted if you're using an old bike.
Practice drinking from your water bottle while riding your bike.

At this point, I've gone through the schedules of various Triathlon Training Groups here in Austin and I've decided to just continue to train on my own. Many of the groups have training session on Saturday morning and I would only be able to accomplish that if I quit teaching classes at the Townlake YMCA. Seeing that I'm not about to win first prize at my first tri, I'll just have to keep teaching my classes and be more disciplined about my training.

The good news is, I'm even more fired up than I was before. Thanks TriZones and Coach Cindy. Last week, I was able to swim 100 meters with my fins during my practice time in the pool. At yesterday's swim class #5 of 6, I was able to swim 100 meters without my fins. It was an awesome feeling! I continue to make corrections in my form, my stroke and my technique. I feel like I'm at the upswing on my learning curve. Even more good news is that we start a new session for swimming in April. My confidence in the swim portion of the tri can only get better from here. I'm pumped!

Swim Class #4 of 6

2010-03-17T18:00:00.002-05:00

Work has been crazy and getting out at my usual time has been tough. Couple that with downtown traffic from SXSW, by the time I get home, finish getting ready for my swim class, time has quickly run out and I'm late for class. Crap! No chance to warm up like I've been able to do that last couple of classes. The weather however, was PERFECT! Daylight Savings Time started last Sunday so we're actually swimming while there's still a lot of natural light out instead of the usual overhead lights.

My legs were still a little sore from the Dallas Half Marathon last Sunday and having to sit immobile in the car for 4 hours on the drive back from Dallas to Austin. As I swam up and down the lane, I could really feel my legs complain. Coach Jenna was nice enough to give me a break and I did not hesitate to take full advantage of the free pass. The big task for this class was to swim 25, 50, 75, rest, then 75, 50, 25. We also did a 50 meter sprint with a big push off from the wall to start each 25 meters - much like you'd see during swim meets. That was fun! I learned that I could not swim 75 meters though and that was awful. How am I supposed to swim 300 meters if I can't even swim 75 meters without choking? I have to work on that!

Fortunately, I asked if TriZones was going to continue with the Swim Classes on Monday and Coach Jenna told me that they were just working out the schedule with the Circle C Pool Personnel. It looks like the classes will continue to be on Monday but will start at a later time of 7:00 p.m. instead of 6:30 p.m. Perfect!

As the month of March slowly comes to an end, I need to start thinking of the other elements that I will run into during the Triathlon. Transition is a key segment in the race as it will determine success in the following segments. I found this video from one of my tweeps and I thought it was extremely helpful. As a person who likes to be prepared and organized, this video was quite useful and it led me to another great site: Tri-Newbies Online and their take on the Triathlon Transition.

So over the next few weeks, I'll be talking more and more about how I'm getting ready for my Triathlon in May. I know there are a lot of people who are successful at training on their own but I don't think I'm one of them. This attempt will be a true test for me not just in the Triathlon but in self-training. Fortunately, I've got a lot of great resources: TriZones, triathlon tweeps, and other friends out there who's been in a similar situation.

Tri Training with Lisa Barnes 12

Dallas Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon

2010-03-15T18:00:00.000-05:00

Leg cramps are not a fun experience, especially when running. It seems that I've been plagued with leg cramps at races this year - I've only run 3 races so far so I can't really classify that as a plague, maybe significant. Leg cramps have significantly affected my performance at races this year. The most major experience of leg cramps while running was during the last 13 miles of the Austin Marathon last February 14, 2010. After that experience, my running coach suggested trying Succeed! S Caps. I've been taking these electrolyte capsules when I teach 2.5 hours of class on Saturdays, on short run days and during swimming classes, as well as when I practice my laps in the pool. I haven't experienced cramps during any of these activities, although I still experience occassional cramps at night.

Unfortunately, the race in Dallas last Sunday, March 14, 2010, was no different from the Austin Marathon. I felt like it should have been different because I was armed with the electrolyte capsules. This was the longest distance I've run since the Austin Marathon and the first time using the S Caps. Inexperience with the product was my detriment. The suggested dosage is one capsule every hour of minimal sweating. For more hot and humid temperatures, the suggested dosage is 1 capsule every 30 minutes. The temperature started in the upper 40's and low 50's so I was following the 1 capsule per hour dosage. By the time I was at mile 9, the flood gates opened and the cramps came at me until mile 12. Darn! I should have followed the 1 capsule per half hour dosage instead. I finished the race in 2 hours and 6 minutes. It was still within my finish time goal but I know I would have finished at an even better time had I not been affected by cramps for 3 miles. But, 3 miles of cramps is still much better than 13 miles. The product was definitely helpful. It was user error that contributed to my failure to reach my stretch goal. Now I want to see if I can sign up for another race before it gets too hot.

Dallas was a pretty course especially going through a neighborhood of sprawling homes and beautiful parks. It wasn't as flat as most people assumed as we climbed at least 3 rather long hills. The course started in Downtown Austin and ended at the Texas State Fair Grounds. It was a gorgeous day and I would gladly do that again.

Swim Class #3 of 6

2010-03-09T18:00:00.002-06:00

Finally!! The rain and drizzle that took up most of the day finally stopped. It actually seemed lighter at 5:00 pm than it was at 8:00 am yesterday. By the time I was poolside, it was 58 degrees and the water felt cold but it soon felt better as our bodies adjusted to the temperature of the water and from then on it was quite pleasant for the rest of the hour. So happy that the weather was not a factor in our training this week. It was easier to concentrate.

This Monday, we worked with a new coach. Jenny, yes, another J.E.N. Pretty funny... we had Jen, Jenna, Jenny. Coach Jenna was working with the other group of more advanced swimmers this week. Jenny was great because for the first time in 3 weeks, someone actually acknowleged the fact that we were all training for the swim portion of a triathlon. She also told us that the challenge before us was totally doable and that she was there to show us HOW. I think that statement was very helpful for me and it put my mind at ease. I actually felt like I was swimming better during class. I didn't feel like I was going back and forth wasting mine and the coach's time. I felt I was making progress again! This time it included mental progress.

This week we did some of the same drills but we also added the use of a pull buoy. The pull buoy really helped to keep us on top of the water, correcting a general weakness that most beginner swimmers have. We also added the back stroke, alternating it with free style stroke to help us catch our breaths. I found that I was pretty good at this combination although I still had trouble swimming in a straight line. Hopefully, this is something I can also improve upon over the next few weeks. I don't feel so bad though because I've heard lots of people complain about the same problem.

Jenny's tip for us was also very important. She encouraged us to work on building endurance when we practice swimming outside of class so that we get together during class, we can perform the drills with more consistency. The initial objective should be to try and complete a lap up and back without stopping and then slowly build on that one lap at a time.

I can believe we're half way through these classes and I honestly don't want to stop at 6 weeks. I want to continue to work on my swimming skills right up to the time of the Triathlon in May. My confidence grows a little each time after class and I feel a little less intimidated by the 300 meters that faces me at the Triathlon. I'm banking on the idea that if I continue with the swimming classes through May, I will at least gain enough confidence to swim the 300 meters without stopping and know that I have enough gas in my tank to finish the rest of the course.

I went for a 4.3 mile run this morning and it was funny because I was thinking about my swimming techniques and position while I was running. I'm really looking forward to practicing on Wednesday and again on Friday. This week's plan is run on Tuesday and Thursday only so that my legs can get a rest before Sunday's race in Dallas.

Anticipating the next swim class

2010-03-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

It's Monday! It's dark and dreary outside. The cloud cover is so thick, the sun can't even peek through. At least it's not 40 degrees! (not yet at least) I was able to get in 2 practice sessions in the pool last week. Both after work, on Wednesday and on Friday. I felt like I had a better grasp of where I was making mistakes and made an effort to correct them. Whether I was successful at correcting those mistakes has yet to be determined. I got called out a lot last week for my head position - lifting it up instead of rolling it to the side. I hope the gentle scolding will be less this week because no matter how nicely Coach Jenna delivers it, constructive criticism means that it needs to be fixed. I hope to get in 2 practice sessions in the pool again this week. Then on Sunday, I run the Dallas Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon.

I'll blog about how Swim Class #3 goes later on. Right now, I'm hoping that the 2 practice sessions I had last week will result in something positive and provide motivation for me to continue to do 2 practice sessions every week.